Rest In Peace, Booker T. Washington, III
1915 - 1994
[Reprinted from Issues & Views Fall 1994]
We mourn the passing of Booker T. Washington, III, who was not only a
personal friend, but a devoted fan of this newsletter. When, a few years ago, I
first summoned the courage to send him several editions of Issues &
Views, I was stunned and elated to receive a phone call from him praising
me for capturing in the pages of I&V the spirit of the mission of his
grandfather, Booker T. Washington. No words were ever more cherished or
appreciated.
From that day, his wisdom and insight played an important role in helping me
maintain the tone of Issues & Views. For months I had been working
on a special edition to commemorate the life and work of Booker, the First.
Now, with his grandson's guidance, I was able to complete it. It is still my
most treasured edition (Spring 1992) and will remain in print for the longevity
of this newsletter.
Conversations with Booker III could be intense or jovial. We laughed a lot.
But he often expressed contempt for those who had misdirected the masses of
blacks away from the teachings of the Tuskegee leaders. Depending on current
events (or our moods), one day he might be the optimist and I would be the
pessimist. On a given day, he might have heard some news that seemed to offer
promise that numbers of blacks might at last challenge the race's demagogues.
But, on other days, I would be the optimist, and some bit of news would have
turned him to pessimism. He would then say, "Forget it, Elizabeth, it's
hopeless. This race is going nowhere."
He lived in Harlem and was especially hurt when watching the streams of
black men who aimlessly wander its streets, for he knew that this did not have
to be. Better than anyone, he knew that, during the worst of times, it was just
such men whom his grandfather had galvanized into action to uplift themselves,
families and communities.
Although he was skeptical about what appeared to be a resurgence of business
activity among blacks, since he suspected that much of it was based on
government coercion of whites, he still hoped for a restoration of an earlier
entrepreneurial drive.
Rest in peace, Booker, the Third. I count myself honored and enriched to
have known you.
Booker T. Washington, III, Grandson of
Great Indigenous Leader Passes Away
Rev. Walter Bowie
June 1995
Booker T. Washington, III, passed away on November 13, 1994. Washington was the grandson of Booker T. Washington, the great leader of the Tuskegee movement, that he initiated in the early part of this century.
The first Booker T. Washington's theories, that racial inequality could best be countered by black self-reliance and education-driven competence, led to an explosion of black businesses and highly skilled tradesmen. The movement was crushed, however, when powerful whites sponsored the NAACP to counter Washington and establish the current social attitude of perpetual black victimization and perpetual white guilt.
The grandson, Booker III, was instrumental in reawakening memories of his grandfather's movement. With his guidance, a special edition of Issues & Views, commemorating the life and ideas of the Tuskegee leader was published in the spring of 1992. That issue, as well as a stream of articles on the history and philosophy of the Tuskegee movement in Issues & Views, is largely credited with creating a renaissance of interest in Washington and his ideas.
Editor Elizabeth Wright says Booker III provided "wisdom and insight" to the publication. She describes him as sad for the plight of the people he saw in Harlem and contemptuous for the white-sponsored black leadership which had brought them to that condition. She wrote of him, "He lived in Harlem and was especially hurt when watching the streams of black men who aimlessly wander its streets, for he knew this did not have to be."
The passing of an honorable man is always sad, but it might be helpful to note that Booker T. Washington, III, has done his duty. He has successfully passed the torch to another generation.
-- Rev. Walter Bowie is pastor of the
Koinonia Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi.
Copyright 1994 © Issues & Views
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