William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, a gifted author, scholar, sociologist, historian, and activist, was the first African-American to receive a PhD from Harvard University in 1895. Du Bois sought to initiate equality through social change, and as a talented writer, his books and essays provide revealing insight into the black experience of the times. The Gift of Black Folk is an analysis of the role of African Americans in the development of American culture. The author provides examples of the ways in which the culture was shaped and enriched by Blacks on many levels, including their economic, religious, and cultural contributions.