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How did W.E.B. Du Bois use The Crisis to support Black writers and civil rights?

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Phillis Wheatley's first book of poetry — African American literature Frontispiece and title page of *Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral* (1773) by Phillis Wheatley, the first Black woman to become a poet of note in the United States. The portrait on which the frontispiece's engraving is based is often attributed to Scipio Moorhead, an Black artist and writer who, like Wheatley, was enslaved and living in Boston.

W.E.B. Du Bois utilized The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP, as a powerful dual-purpose platform to advance civil rights and foster a burgeoning literary movement.12

Supporting Black Writers

Du Bois provided a vital venue for the Harlem Renaissance by publishing the works of emerging Black authors. Under the literary editorship of Jessie Redmon Fauset from 1919 to 1926, the magazine became a leading publisher for young writers, including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Arna Bontemps, and Jean Toomer. By showcasing these voices, Du Bois helped cultivate a unique and powerful literary tradition that articulated the social and psychological experiences of Black Americans.132

Advancing Civil Rights

Beyond literature, Du Bois used the magazine to challenge systemic injustice. He explicitly stated in the first issue that the publication would expose the dangers of race prejudice. The Crisis served as a critical medium for political thought, documenting occurrences and ideas that fueled the civil rights movement. Through its pages, the NAACP campaigned against lynching and advocated for political and social equality, ensuring the organization remained central to the national conversation on justice and human rights.123