W. E. B. Du Bois dedicated much of his later career to peace activism, especially as the militarism of the Cold War threatened to lead to a conflict where there could be no survivors. He also saw how the development of what we now know as the Military Industrial Complex threatened vulnerable communities in the US and around the world, while legitimizing imperialism, oppression, and racism. 

Du Bois campaigned for the US Senate on a peace platform in 1950 and eagerly participated in groups advocating for denuclearization and an end to the ideological conflicts between the USSR and the West, including the Peace Information Center. His activities attracted the attention of the US government, who put Du Bois, and several of his colleagues, on trial in 1951 for allegedly being 'agents of a foreign power'. A guilty verdict carried a possible 10-year prison sentence. 

This talk will tell the story of how the 83-year-old W. E. B. Du Bois took on his own country's government in the name of peace, and from the political left, at a time when this was highly unpopular. It will quote extensively from Du Bois's own writings, present images from the archival collections housed in the Du Bois Papers, and describe many of the allies who stood alongside Du Bois as he battled for his life and liberty. Finally, it will examine the legacy of Du Bois's trial, and the lessons that can be taken from it by peace activists today.