Come & Visit Our Office Center at 309 Main Street
Open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday | From 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Our Mission
The mission of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy is to educate the public about the life and legacy of civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois and the rich African American heritage of the Berkshires.
Located at the former Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church in Great Barrington, where he was born and raised, this vibrant center of Black thought and remembrance constitutes the first museum and living memorial in North America dedicated to Du Bois’ life and legacy.
DFC Summer Walking Tour is back!
Honoring the life and legacy of W.E.B Du Bois and Black history in Great Barrington & the Berkshires!
To inquire about an individual or group tour, email: office@duboisfreedomcenter.org
Join our guided summer tour series running from late May through September (every other Saturday) from 1-2:30PM.
Led by Marcus Smith and Damion Scott , Ph.D. students in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of African American Studies, UMass Amherst.
Open to Visitors, K-12 students, educators, scholars of Du Bois, and local residents alike. Come discover the stories, places, and people that shaped Du Bois and the Berkshires.
Dates: June 27 · July 11 & 25 · Aug 8 & 22 · Sept 5 & 19
Pricing: $25 GA / $15 Students & Seniors (65+) Children Under 10 Free
An Exhibit of Works Celebrating the Life, Story and Legacy of Elizabeth Freeman
Elizabeth Freeman:
Reimagined!
Explore DFC’s Summer Lineup !
July 4
The Norman Rockwell Museum
In collaboration with W. E. B. Du Bois Freedom Center,Norman Rockwell Museum will celebrate American independence and democracy with a special day of programming. Listen to a public recitation of the Declaration of Independence read by Berkshire County community residents and civic leaders.
Reading will be introduced by Roberta McCulloch-Dews, Vice Chair, Norman Rockwell Board of Trustees and Marcus P. Smith, Du Bois Freedom Center, History and Interpretive Fellow.
July 8 & 15
The Mount, Edith Wharton Cultural Center
In collaboration with the W. E. B. Du Bois Freedom Center, The Mount, Edith Wharton's Cultural Center, presents two evenings of conversation exploring race, freedom, and American history.
On July 8 (5–7pm), historian and curator Marcus P. Smith introduces a discussion between Donna Van Der Zee and Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Jeff L. Rosenheim on Lenox to Harlem: The Life and Art of James Van Der Zee with Donna Van Der Zee and Jeff L. Rosenheim. On July 15 (5:30pm), Smith joins The Ashley House and the Massachusetts Women's History Center for a panel on Elizabeth Freeman, the first woman to win her freedom in a Massachusetts court of law.
July 21
UMass Amherst & Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
In partnership with the W. E. B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents an evening celebrating the remarkable friendship between composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and W. E. B. Du Bois. On July 21 (doors open 6:30pm), the program features a group reading of Du Bois' "The Immortal Child" from Darkwater (1920), written in tribute to his late friend, followed by a live performance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp Minor, and closes with an open conversation with the audience. Tickets TBA.
EVENTS
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TOURS
“The W. E. B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy presents a singular opportunity to reclaim and extend in Du Bois’ hometown, the Black intellectual, artistic traditions, and social movements to which he dedicated his life’s work.”
—David Levering Lewis, Pulitzer Prize-winning Du Bois Biographer