In 1903, the noted scholar and political activist W.E.B. Du Bois made the now often cited prediction that “The problem of the Twentieth Century would be the problem of the color line” (Aptheker, 1914/1973, p. 38). It is now, however, abundantly clear that professor Du Bois was an optimist! America is now well into the 21st century and the “race problem” has steadfastly remained our country’s defining social challenge.

中文翻译：

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种族总是很重要吗？

1903 年，著名学者和政治活动家 WEB Du Bois 做出了现在经常被引用的预测：“20 世纪的问题将是色线问题”（Aptheker，1914/1973，第 38 页）。然而，现在非常清楚的是，杜波依斯教授是一个乐观主义者！美国现在已经进入 21 世纪，“种族问题”一直是我们国家的决定性社会挑战。