stressed the strengths and weaknesses of a community
wrestling with overwhelming social problems.
Du Bois was one of the first scholars to note
that a dual heritage creates conflict for people of
color. He called this duality double-consciousness—
the identity conflict of being both a black and an
American. Du Bois pointed out that although people
in this country espouse such values as democracy,
freedom, and equality, they also accept racism and
group discrimination. African Americans are the
victims of these conflicting values and the actions
that result from them (Benjamin, 1991).