Answer:
This phrase allows DuBois to be passive about how black people are being treated and represented by Booker T. Washington.
Explanation:
DuBois does not agree with Booker T. Washington's position on how blacks should position themselves to have their rights guaranteed.
Dubois was an academic intellectual and believed that blacks should have a quality education and fight for political representation and rights. Meanwhile, Booker T. Washington believed that blacks should strive for economic freedom and not confront whites or claim anything.
Dubois felt that Booker T. Washington's position demeaned blacks and placed them in a weaker position relative to whites. However, he stressed that if people wanted to listen to Booker T. Washington, the “thinking classes of black Americans,” like him, would take a passive stance in the struggle for rights, no matter what.
