The influential American civil rights leader who was a co-founder of the NAACP is W.E.B. Du Bois. An outspoken advocate for African American rights, Du Bois played a crucial role in the early civil rights movement, challenging racial segregation and promoting higher education for black Americans. His work emphasized the importance of political activism and intellectualism, and he published "The Souls of Black Folk," which remains a seminal text in African American literature and history.