Education and work are the levers to uplift a people.

W. E. B. Du Bois, the towering scholar and prophet of freedom, once proclaimed with fiery conviction: “Education and work are the levers to uplift a people.” In these words he gave a vision not only for his own generation but for all time: that the strength of a people, long oppressed or wandering in hardship, does not come by charity alone, nor by the sword, but by the disciplined forces of the mind and the hands—education to sharpen the spirit, and work to give substance to dignity. These two, joined together, are the levers that move the immovable, raising up communities from despair to greatness.

The ancients knew well the power of such levers. Archimedes, the great mathematician, once declared that with a lever long enough, he could move the world. Du Bois takes that metaphor and breathes into it new life: the lever of education, which opens the mind to knowledge, to history, to invention, to wisdom; and the lever of work, which transforms knowledge into action, creation, and sustenance. Without education, work may remain aimless; without work, education may remain sterile. Together, they become the force by which a people rise from the dust and claim their rightful place in history.

Du Bois spoke these words in the crucible of the African American struggle after emancipation. Chains had been broken, but true freedom had not yet come. For what is liberty without learning? What is citizenship without the ability to labor with dignity? He saw clearly that a people denied education are left blind, and a people denied work are left powerless. His cry was not only for rights but for preparation—the building of schools, the cultivation of skill, the dignity of labor. In his vision, the true inheritance of freedom lay not merely in law, but in the trained mind and the disciplined hand.

History offers us shining confirmation. When Japan emerged from centuries of isolation during the Meiji Restoration, it chose the path of education and work. Schools were built, industries established, and within a single generation the nation rose from feudal stagnation to global power. It was not magic, nor conquest, but the steady levers of learning and labor that lifted them. And so it has always been: where people embrace these two forces, they rise; where they are denied, they fall.

The lesson is universal: a people cannot be uplifted by leaders alone, nor by wealth alone, nor by fleeting victories. They are lifted by the knowledge in their minds and the diligence in their hands. Education opens the way to wisdom, self-respect, and progress; work makes real what the mind conceives, giving life, structure, and permanence. These two must always walk hand in hand. A society that honors one and neglects the other builds only half a foundation, destined to crumble when storms arise.

And so, the call to us is both heroic and practical. Seek always to learn, for learning is light. Do not be content with ignorance, but drink deeply of knowledge, whether in books, in mentors, in the lessons of history, or in the wisdom of lived experience. At the same time, honor work—be it humble or exalted—for every labor that builds, nourishes, or heals contributes to the strength of the people. Reject idleness, for work gives dignity, and through work knowledge finds purpose.

Practical actions follow. Support schools and teachers, for they plant the seeds of freedom in young hearts. Train your own mind, not only in your youth but throughout your days, for the lever of education grows stronger with every stroke. Honor those who labor, and do not despise humble tasks, for each is a thread in the great tapestry of a nation. Combine thought with deed, vision with action, knowledge with labor, and you will help lift not only yourself but all those bound to your community.

Thus, children of the future, remember the words of Du Bois: “Education and work are the levers to uplift a people.” Grasp these levers with both hands, and you will rise. Teach them to your children, and they will rise. Build them into your nation, and your nation will rise. For these are not merely tools—they are the very instruments of freedom, the eternal engines of human dignity, and the surest path to greatness.