Walter Mosley visits W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Accra: A New York Secretary’s homecoming story on where Du Bois spent his final years.

Accra's W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture, located on First Circular Road, is where the renowned scholar spent his final years and is now his final resting place. Du Bois moved to Ghana in 1961 at the invitation of President Kwame Nkrumah, who sought his expertise for the Encyclopedia Africana project. He became a Ghanaian citizen and continued his work until his death in Accra on August 27, 1963.

New York State Secretary Walter T. Mosley recently visited the Du Bois Centre, where he chaired the New York State Commission on African American History and studied African Studies and African American History at Penn State. The visit was organized by Maurice Cheetham, founder of Diaspora Bridge Consulting, a firm connecting diaspora leaders with Ghanaian institutions.

Secretary Mosley aimed to meet key stakeholders during his trip, and the Du Bois Centre visit was part of a broader program that included meetings with local leaders.

While the campus is currently under renovation, visitors cannot see the bungalow where Du Bois lived; instead, they can explore the photograph exhibit and document preservation lab. The exhibit chronicles Du Bois's life journey from his scholarly days in the United States to his final years in Accra. Meanwhile, the preservation lab safeguards Du Bois's papers, books, and records for future students and researchers.

President Jerry John Rawlings inaugurated the memorial on June 22, 1985, after Du Bois's remains were transferred from Christiansburg Castle in Osu. Four decades later, the campus is undergoing renovations, with much of the focus now on protecting Du Bois's legacy through its archives and lab. During the tour, Secretary Mosley paid tribute by laying a wreath at the tomb of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois inside the mausoleum.