Colors of Progress: Du Bois's Charts in the Digital Age

This project is an interactive, animated tribute to the groundbreaking data visualizations created by W.E.B. Du Bois for the 1900 Paris Exposition. Using p5.js, we recreate and animate some of Du Bois's most iconic infographics, bringing his visionary designs into the digital age.

Overview

W.E.B. Du Bois's infographics were revolutionary for their time, combining statistical accuracy with artistic flair to illustrate the socioeconomic conditions of African Americans at the turn of the 20th century. This project aims to:

1. Recreate key elements of Du Bois's designs using modern web technologies
2. Add interactivity and animation to engage contemporary audiences
3. Preserve the bold color schemes and geometric patterns that made Du Bois's work so distinctive

Features

• Animated Occupations Chart: A rotating circular chart showing occupations of African Americans and whites in Georgia.
• Dynamic Property Valuation Visualization: An animated representation of assessed property values owned by African Americans in Georgia.
• Interactive Population Spiral: A spiraling chart depicting city and rural population data.
• Responsive Georgia Map: A colorful, county-by-county representation of land ownership.

Technologies Used

• p5.js for drawing and animation
• HTML5 Canvas for rendering
• JavaScript for interactivity

How to Run

1. Clone this repository
2. Open index.html in a modern web browser
3. Alternatively, you can view the live demo - https://openprocessing.org/sketch/2330052

Inspiration

This project draws direct inspiration from W.E.B. Du Bois's data visualizations created for the 1900 Paris Exposition, including:

• "Occupations of Negroes and Whites in Georgia"
• "Assessed Valuation of All Taxable Property Owned by Georgia Negroes"
• "City and Rural Population, 1890"
• "Land Owned by Negroes in Georgia, U.S.A. 1870-1900"

Contributing

Contributions to enhance the visualizations or add new charts inspired by Du Bois's work are welcome. Please feel free to submit pull requests or open issues for discussion.

Acknowledgments

• W.E.B. Du Bois for his pioneering work in data visualization and social research
• The Library of Congress for preserving and digitizing Du Bois's original infographics