If he but had some master-work, some life-service, hard,—aye, bitter hard, but without the cringing and sickening servility, without the cruel hurt that hardened his heart and soul.
W.E.B. Du Bois: “If he but had some master-work, some life-service, hard,—aye, bitter hard, but without the cringing and sickening…”
Editor's note · Context
From the fictional narrative "Of the Coming of John," a young Black man yearns for meaningful work free from servility and the dehumanizing effects of racial prejudice.
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