W.E.B. Du Bois was the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University. He faced little racial discrimination growing up but faced greater challenges as he pursued higher education, becoming the first African American valedictorian of his high school and earning advanced degrees from Fisk University, Harvard, and the University of Berlin. Du Bois emphasized the importance of developing talented African American leaders through education to guide social progress. In his study The Philadelphia Negro, Du Bois sought to prove that social conditions rather than race caused negative perceptions of African Americans. He stressed the impact of teachers and education in empowering African Americans and promoting better race relations.