Before joining the communist party, DuBois was well known for his involvement in helping African-American citizens gain rights. DuBois was one of the co founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that still exists today. However, later in his life, he ended up joining the communist party. This participation was brief, as he joined at the age of 93 years old. He would end up dying at the age of 95.
Although many women suffragists favored abolishing slavery and expanding the rights of African Americans, they felt betrayed by women not being specifically included in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments.