How Dubois’s Theory of The Double Consciousness & The Veil Resonate With Being Black At A Predominantly White Institution.

As apart of my senior thesis, I am looking at how African American literature discusses topics about mental health. One of the key authors that I have been focusing on is, W.E.B Dubois and his work The Souls of Black Folk. Once I began reading the Forethought, he laid out the main theme of his chapters. The first one being emancipation.

I didn’t focus too heavily on the theme of emancipation though. I dwelled into the chapter and found relatable content that is applicable to black students at predominantly white institutions. Throughout the chapter, on page 8, Dubois says,

“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, -an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”.

Automatically, this made me think of this idea of double consciousness that he mentions. I read this as, it allows us to internalize racism because we then perceive ourselves through the eyes of others. We are judging ourselves more critically, letting the dominant culture take control of our actions which then alters our mental health.

Then, we view this theme with more of a narrow focus into, this feeling of twoness. W.E.B Dubois mentions this where he says, “two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”.

As I read that, I immediately began to think of how being a black man at a predominantly white school has me living in this double consciousness. From the way I interpreted this quote, it made me understand that my personality/identity is divided into 2 or more facets.

Example being: if I was to walk into the dining hall and they had fried chicken, pork rinds, cornbread, and watermelon, one side of me wouldn’t question on getting it. But before I ultimately make this decision, another side of me combats the other by reminding me how others would perceive me. Something this small could have an impact on the mental health of many African Americans.

Of course, the quote also shows the duality of African Americans. Being a black man at a predominantly white school, I relate to this on a spiritual level. I live two lives at this institution. One with my white friends and the other is when I am around my friends who are of color. Of course, I can’t mention the duality without mentioning the conflict that tags along with it.

Being a black man at this school, I am facing this dual reality of adapting to the white community while also holding on to my blackness. Not only is this exhausting but it creates havoc within the mind as well. Whenever I am around my white friends, I feel the need to collect myself and adapt this sort of veil that W.E.B Dubois uses within The Souls of Black Folk.

Within the story, Dubois talks about a veil. The veil is a symbol of the mental state of African Americans when they knew they were different than the dominant group. This, of course, goes hand in hand with the way a black person would get perceived for their failure as well as their accomplishments.

Dubois used the veil to also show readers the color line that still exists today. As the story continues, Dubois goes deeper into the veil and points out the veil prevents whites from treating black people as human beings. Sadly, the veil also prevents African Americans from seeing passed the negative perception that society has placed on them.

Being a black student at this school, I have realized that the veil is apparent in numerous ways. Once I became a black college student on a predominantly white campus, within a predominantly white state, I felt my skin color. Suddenly, I was faced with this thought of feeling like a stranger within this world. No matter where I go on campus, I automatically feel the veil and double consciousness take effect. It impacts my mental health and causes me to worry about the negative vision that people have for African American men.

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