Who advocated a strategy of Black self-improvement through vocational education and economic uplift at Tuskegee?

• A. W. E. B. Du Bois
• B. Marcus Garvey
• C. Booker T. Washington
• D. Sojourner Truth

Answer: (C)

This question highlights Booker T. Washington’s approach to Black progress through practical, vocational education and economic uplift. He founded the Tuskegee Institute to train Black students in trades, agriculture, and industrial skills, arguing that economic self-reliance would prove Black people’s worth, reduce prejudice, and gradually create space for civil rights. This emphasis on “self-help” and skill-building at Tuskegee is what sets his strategy apart.

W. E. B. Du Bois pushed for higher education in liberal arts and immediate civil rights through political action; Marcus Garvey stressed Black nationalism and broad economic empowerment, often focused on separate Black-owned enterprises and a pan-African outlook; Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and early advocate for women’s rights. The Tuskegee connection and the focus on vocational training make Booker T. Washington the best fit for this question.