Booker Taliaferro Washington is undoubtedly West Virginia's most famous African American, although he lived in the state only briefly. He was born in Franklin County, Virginia, on April 5, 1856, the son of slaves. During the Civil War, his family was freed and Washington's stepfather, Washington Furgenson, moved to Kanawha Salines (Malden), Kanawha County, to work at the salt furnaces. When the war ended in 1865, the stepfather sent for the rest of the family, who traveled the 200 miles to the Kanawha Valley mostly on foot.

As a slave, BTW did not have a last name and chose "Washington," his stepfather's first name. Washington worked at a salt furnace at the Salines at the age of nine and later in a coal mine along Campbell's Creek. He attended public schools for a brief time under noted Kanawha Valley African American teacher William H. Davis. Washington was also a servant for Viola Ruffner, who taught him how to read.

In 1872, Washington began attending the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. After graduating in 1875, he returned to Malden to teach school for both black children and adults. During this time, he became recognized as an eloquent speaker and a leader in the black community. In 1877, a referendum was held to determine the permanent site of the West Virginia state capital, which had been alternating between Charleston and Wheeling since the state's creation. Local political leaders John Kenna and Romeo Freer convinced Washington to travel around the state and influence the black populace to vote in favor of Charleston. There is no record of the actual black vote in the referendum, but Charleston was chosen overwhelmingly over Clarksburg and Martinsburg.

In 1878, Washington left the state and only returned occasionally to visit family. After studying at the Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C., he taught at Hampton Institute. In 1881, he was chosen to direct a new normal school for blacks in Tuskegee, Alabama. Under Washington's leadership, the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute became one of the leading African-American educational institutions in the country. The school promoted the pursuit of specific vocational skills and development of proper manners and good morals.

At a time when many black leaders rejected the laws and traditions which discriminated against African Americans, Washington spoke in favor of cooperation. In one of his most famous speeches in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1893, he said, "In all things that are purely social we can be separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress." W. E. B. Du Bois labeled the speech the "Atlanta Compromise" and denounced Washington's emphasis of vocational over intelluctual development. Washington's visit to the White House in 1901 further angered radical civil rights leaders. To counter Washington's philosophy, Du Bois, Martinsburg newspaper editor J.R. Clifford, and others formed the Niagara Movement, the second meeting of which was held in Harpers Ferry in 1906. This crusade led to the organization of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As racial tensions increased during the early 1900s, white Americans as well as many African Americans rejected the radical stance of the NAACP and accepted Washington's philosophy of compromise.

Washington presided over Tuskegee Institute until his death on November 14, 1915. He wrote twelve books, the most famous of which, Up From Slavery (1906), recounted his early life in Malden. Washington remains one of the most respected yet controversial subjects of African-American history. Tuskegee Institute provided educational opportunities for many blacks which would not have existed without his leadership. However, while many African-Americans demanded change, Washington advocated acceptance of the status quo.

bd's comment: What was Booker T. Washington thinking and why is this important?
Washington had great foresight, he knew the majority, i.e., white people, were not going to change their ways and their way of thinking overnight, it would take time, more time than anyone could possibly imagine. And the best way to advance the interests of African Americans was to raise each generation to another level. How do you do this successfully? Booker T. Washington thought that the best way to do this was increase the opportunities and skill level of each generation, it's unfortunate that men like Du Bois caused derision in his acclamation that B.T.W. was a sell-out and instead of seeing the flip side of the script that focusing on vocation could have allowed African Americans to provide more and better opportunities for their children. Washington was a visionary, there have been cases of immigrant groups doing exactly that...