The Talented Tenth, by WEB DuBois , is a term that designated a leadership class of African Americans in the early 20th century. The term was created by Northern philanthropists, then publicized by W. E. B. Du Bois in an influential essay of the same name, which he published in September 1903. WEB DuBois. was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor.