W.E.B. Du Bois: Subtle Groupings and Poetic Annotations
The work of W.E.B. Du Bois shows that the details make the story.
For example, at a glance, this graphic from 1900 looks like a simple bar chart. It shows the occupations of African Americans at the time, beginning with laborers, servants, and carpenters. But the grouping of the bottom 14 professions, Du Bois tells the heart of the story: although slaves were gaining employment, most of them were shut out of skill-based professions. The tiny gray bracket says, “we still a long way to go.”
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In visualizations, words matter too. Consider the words Du Bois selected for this subtitle:
MALES OVER 10. It’s a simple and stunning reminder of how life has changed. The high school movement began in the United States in 1910 to systematically prepare youth for higher-skilled jobs and spark innovation. By 1940, enrollment of 15 to 18-year-olds rose from 18% in 1910 to 73% in 1940.
The simple phrase, “MALES OVER 10” is a remarkable reminder of how small details make the story.
