VISIT | LEARN | REFLECT | SUPPORT | BE INSPIRED
Our Mission
The mission of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy is to educate the public about the life and legacy of civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois and the rich African American heritage of the Berkshires.
Located at the former Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church in Great Barrington, where he was born and raised, this vibrant center of Black thought and remembrance constitutes the first museum and living memorial in North America dedicated to Du Bois’ life and legacy.
EVENTS
NEWS
TOURS
Explore W. E. B. Du Bois & African American Heritage in Great Barrington
Every summer, honor the life and legacy of W. E. B. Du Bois through the Du Bois Freedom Center’s bi-weekly Walking Tour Series in Great Barrington.
Running from late May through September on alternating Saturdays, these guided tours are led by UMass Amherst Ph.D. students—including Marcus Smith, Ph.D.—who bring fresh scholarly insight to Du Bois’s early life, local history, and the key sites that shaped his enduring impact.
This series not only expands public access to Du Bois’s story but also fosters academic partnerships and provides graduate students with meaningful, public-facing teaching experience.
Open to students, scholars and first-time visitors alike, each tour offers a meaningful connection to our shared history and future.
To inquire about an individual or group tour, please email: office@duboisfreedomcenter.org
2026 Summer Tour Dates:
May 30 · June 13 · June 27 · July 11 · July 25 · August 8 · August 22 · September 5 · September 19
We Invite You to Come Visit
Our History Center at 309 Main Street
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11 AM–3 PM
Virginia Conway, Community Volunteer & Du Bois Legacy Committee Representative
A Life of Faith, Family, and Freedom
An Interview of Virginia Conway by Beth Carlson, DFC Treasuer
“The Du Bois Freedom Center is something we can call our own — a place named for a Black man. Once it is open, when I walk in the door, I know I will feel a sense of welcome. Because he knew us. He understood the soul of Black people.”
— Virginia Conway
Born in Alabama and a longtime Berkshires resident, Virginia Conway has dedicated her life to faith, leadership, and service through Macedonia Baptist Church, Bridge Multicultural, and the Du Bois Freedom Center.
We thank her for her decades of commitment and community leadership that continue to inspire our mission. Read her story →
“The W. E. B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy presents a singular opportunity to reclaim and extend in Du Bois’ hometown, the Black intellectual, artistic traditions, and social movements to which he dedicated his life’s work.”
—David Levering Lewis, Pulitzer Prize-winning Du Bois Biographer