William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois

(February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963)

William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard in 1895 and one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. He pioneered the development of sociology as a scientific discipline, integrating data from field surveys and published government census data with sophisticated statistical methods and infographics. 

His book The Philadelphia Negro (1899) was the first statistically based sociological study in the United States and the first to explicitly describe the use of mixed-methods research in sociology. Du Bois believed rigorous empirical evidence could—and should—be used to challenge injustice, and he linked statistical patterns to lived experience through concepts such as “double consciousness.” 

Du Bois employed aesthetically compelling and original infographics to summarize complex statistical data and argue for social reform. He and his team of Black students contributed 32 charts, 500 photographs, and numerous maps and plans to the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, showcasing the progress made by African Americans since emancipation and correcting racially biased stereotypes. 

In his honor, the inaugural W. E. B. Du Bois Award in Population Science was established in 2025 by the Population Association of America.