The conclusion to Hope Draped in Black uses Du Bois’s later reflections on the enduring “relevance of the color-line” to think about contemporary events and conditions. In the preface to the fiftieth anniversary of Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois makes a strong connection between race and material inequality. He also suggests that, under prevailing circumstances, race continues to be used to justify war, military invasions, and so forth. Du Bois indicates how race always points beyond itself to other kinds of struggles, conditions, and experiences. To exemplify what I mean, I look at several examples. I examine, for...