Nationalism & Integration

The relationship – and sometimes the conflict – between nationalism and integration is one that I hadn’t really considered before this class. I naively assumed that all African-Americans made the effort to integrate into American society as a whole. When thinking about nationalism and integration, it seems that a nationalist movement would only further the separation of races and strengthen segregation. So rather than benefitting the African-Americans, strong nationalism with weak or little integration would only increase the injustices of segregation and widen the inequalities between African-Americans and white Americans. When we discussed this subject in lecture, I found it hard to imagine the difficulties faced by African-Americans following the end of the Civil War. After hundreds of years of involuntary enslavement, they finally had the freedom that had been denied previous generations. Even so, gaining freedom from slavery seemed to be the easiest part. Freedom from prejudice – both legal and extra-legal forms – was a completely new battle, and one that would continue to be fought by newer generations. Given all the difficulties of integration and the obstacles (social, political, and economic) that the African-Americans needed to overcome in order to achieve equality, would the effort be worth it? At first, I was surprised by the fact that Booker T. Washington was a proponent of industrial education for African-Americans and adhered to the politics of accommodation – but upon further consideration, his pragmatic approach made legitimate sense. In order to better the race as a whole, providing opportunities for advancement in the work force meant that eventually more opportunities could be created. Often, advancement in the work force or some professional environment leads to economic and social advancement, as well. Finding the middle ground between Washington’s and W.E.B. du Bois’ differing opinions would be difficult, but possibly. An African-American culture was already strongly in place as a result of slavery, but it needed to be developed into a more cohesive, national effort in order to be more highly effective. African-American culture in the United States drew from traditional African cultures (obviously) and from the common experiences and vestiges of slavery. Strengthening religious organizations, educational programs, business opportunities, and political and economic standing were key in order to advance the race as a whole. While it might not satisfy the popular demand for short-term accomplishments, Washington’s approach to the ideas of nationalism and integration and his focus on building and growing African-American institutions would provide a strong foundation upon which to build further success in the long run.