Booker T. Washington, one of the most prominent African American leaders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, died at age 59 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Born into slavery in 1856, Washington rose to become a pioneering educator, author, and founder of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).
He was a key voice in debates about Black advancement during the post-Reconstruction era, advocating for vocational education, economic self-reliance, and racial uplift. Though his accommodationist approach was controversial, his legacy remains foundational in the history of Black education and civil rights.
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