W.E.B. Du Bois\u27S Talented Tenth: A Quantitative Assessment

The Talented Tenth is the moniker that W.E.B. Du Bois bestowed on the cadre of college-educated African Americans whom he charged with providing leadership for the African American community during the post-Reconstruction era. According to Du Bois\u27s original theoretical formulation, the Talented Tenth were to sacrifice their personal interests and endeavors to provide leadership for the African American community. Following in Du Bois\u27s footsteps, this inquiry uses the National Black Politics Study to examine the attitudes of today\u27s Talented Tenth concerning their responsibilities as leaders of their respective communities. Multivariate findings indicate that among other things, the Talented Tenth report being more politically active and more involved in their communities and are suspect of the motives of the Black middle class. The authors\u27 results suggest that the Talented Tenth are fulfilling the charge placed before them by W.E.B. Du Bois. © 2002 Sage Publications