Chapter 16, "Connections at Home and Abroad" Summary and Analysis

Nina and Du Bois have grown apart. For one thing, he is often far away from home. His daughter attempts to get his attention by frequently imagining illnesses.

In 1911 while Nina has begun house hunting in New York, Du Bois goes to London to address an upscale club called The Lyceum and to attend the new Universal Races Congress. Ironically, at the same time Nina faces trouble finding an acceptable place to live, the NAACP is fighting a battle against housing discrimination. According to Lewis, Washington worries that Du Bois will stir up trouble in England.

Du Bois opens the conference with a lovely poem. The room is filled with talented, famous people who believe world harmony is just around the corner, and Du Bois gets the royal treatment...