The Making and Re-making of The Philadelphia Negro

This article sheds light on the methods and meaning of W. E. B. Du Bois’ 1899 study of the everyday lives of Black residents of Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward. It does so by juxtaposing the way Du Bois conducted his research with our contemporary efforts to recover, recreate, and preserve The Philadelphia Negro using digital and geospatial technologies to document historical and contemporary patterns relating to race and class. Beginning with an exploration of primary source documents that provide new details about how Du Bois went about his original research, we focus on the humanities and social science research methods that he employed. Of note is the color-coded parcel-level map Du Bois created to illustrate Black social class status, which reflected both the influence of the Social Survey Movement and Du Bois’ efforts to present a new understanding of the color line. His findings were groundbreaking, considering that most white scientists of his time assumed Black people to be biologically inferior and socially homogeneous. Instead, he documented the variability and social stratification within Philadelphia’s Black population and the systematic exclusion they faced because of anti-Black racism. Our ongoing project — The WARD: Race and Class in Du Bois’ Seventh Ward, which seeks to recreate Du Bois’ study — includes new technologies and participatory research methods that engage high school and college students. In-depth, intergenerational oral histories conducted with students also add a new dimension to this work and complement our high school curriculum, which incorporates online mapping, documentaries, a board game, a walking tour, and a mural to engage others to create their own primary sources. This research provides a historical context for today’s racial tensions as we seek new ways to address the 21st century color line.