William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an American sociologist and civil rights activist who was the first Black man to graduate from Harvard University. Du Bois used his prominent status in the Black community to educate the public about blatant discrimination and racism that targeted Blacks. Du Bois took a more aggressive approach than others at the time, such as Booker T. Washington. Du Bois felt that a direct approach was needed if change was ever to happen, and he believed it would be the Black community that would make change possible. Du Bois cofounded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was the editor of The Crisis, a magazine affiliated with the organization. Eventually, he chose to dissociate himself from the NAACP because he felt the organization was too passive in pursuing equal rights for Blacks.