Mixtape
Jaelyn Howell
Dr. Jaleesa Harris
African-American Lit 1
December 7, 2025
For this project and topic, I chose to create a mixtape/playlist because music has always been a powerful way Black communities expressed struggle, pride, and hope. Throughout our “What’s the Beef” unit we saw the empowerment that Washington and Du Bois debated about more than a century ago, but we can still hear their ideas echo through music today. This playlist allowed me to show their differences using songs that carry the same messages, tone, and/or energy as their philosophies, speeches, or reading. Each track/song on this playlist reflects a theme, belief, or tension that was present in the readings we studied.
The overall mixtape highlights the difference between Washington’s self-help, patience approach and Du Bois’s urgent, political strategies. Washington believed racial advancement would come through hard work, vocational education, economic progress and patience, which I represented with songs like “Rise Up.” “Hard Work,” and “Blessings.” These songs focus on internal strength and discipline which aligns with Washington’s push to encourage Black communities to uplift themselves through labor, education and personal development like he said in “The Awakening of the Negro.” When I sat and thought about the songs, I would choose to represent Washington’s side there were key themes I was looking for; grind, growth, patience, and building from the ground up, these words described the readings and Washington’s philosophies.
On the other hand, Du Bois insisted that the true equality they were looking for had to come from confronting the injustices directly and that came with demanding political rights, higher education and activism. Songs like “Alright” “Fight the Power,” “Freedom,” and “The Bigger Picture” represent his belief and idea that organized resistance and demanding justice would get the Black community what they deserved not waiting for it. In “Addressing the Atlanta Compromise” and “Of the Training of Black Men,” Du Bois challenges Washington’s message of patience and instead pushes the idea of pride, agitation, and leadership. The songs I chose for Du Bois’s side show the refusal to be silent and calling out injustice.
Now the tracks on the playlist may make it seem like Washington and Du Bois were fighting against each other or enemies, but they are actually fighting the same battle. Towards the end of the playlist, I added songs like “Glory,” and “Stand up” to show the bridge connecting the two’s main ideas or action to call; faith, hope with action, community strength, and political demands. I chose to end the playlist with “Optimistic” because it reflects my belief that both men; Du Bois, and Washington, despite their differences in philosophies they share the same ultimate goal: true Black freedom.
The songs I chose for this playlist were important but so were the artists. I chose these artists because they continue the Black legacy Washington and Du Bois started and fought for. Beyonce, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, and Lil Baby represent the voices today that fight for Black empowerment. Their music holds the same tension, pain, and tiredness between surviving in a system that was created, changed, and meant to break us and fighting to change those systems. And adding a combination of some older jams like “A Change is Gonna Come” shows how both paths to empowerment continue today across generations.
In conclusion, this mixtape is a creative way to represent and show my understanding of the two philosophies we studied. My playlist shows the fight for Black empowerment; it shows how there are many ways to one outcome and how Washington and Du Bois’s legacy and fight continues.
https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/two-paths-one-fight/pl.u-ZmblldmfV5d79ez
Playlist explained
“Alright”- Kendrick Lamar
The hook “We gon’ be alright” reflects his (Du Bois) hope in activism, education and protest.
“Rise Up”- Andra Day
This song connects with Washington’s idea of self-improvement, thriving in bad conditions, and being uplifted by hard work.
“Fight the Power”- Public Enemy
Shows Du Bois’s call to fight head on against the oppression instead of accepting it.
“Keep Ya Head up”- 2Pac
This song helps show Washington’s emphasis on uplifting each other in their communities and encouragement.
“Glory”- Common & John Legend
This song heavily represents Du Bois’ organized protests and collective justice, it shows his fight for demanding political rights and not waiting for it.
“A Change is Gonna Come”- Sam Cooke
This oldie helps represent patience, dedication, and perseverance
“Freedom”- Beyonce & Kendrick Lamar
The tone was the reason for this pick; it represents Du Bois’s urgency for liberation. It is loud, bold, and shows the fight back.
“Hard Work”- Theo Katzman
Helps emphasis Washington’s philosophy about how labor, skills, and vocational education were the key steps for Black empowerment and success.
“Formation”- Beyonce
Beyonce helps represent cultural pride and political awareness.
“Stand Up”- Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia’s message is marching, demanding, and collectively achieving freedom.
“Blessings”- Chance the Rapper
Represents Washington’s ideas about faith and community building.
“The Bigger Picture”- Lil Baby
Lil Baby directly calls out injustices and name exact problems in this song along with ways or actions to fix them.
“Optimistic”- Sounds of Blackness
Connects the two philosophies end goal; unity and Black freedom.
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