At the inaugural W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science, the two discussed Du Bois’ legacy and influence, Staples’ personal and professional journey, and the importance of speaking truth to power. Staples detailed this and many aspects of his personal and professional journey at the inaugural W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science put on by the Department of Sociology in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences in collaboration with Annenberg and the Center for Africana Studies. Tukufu Zuberi, the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations in the departments of Sociology and Africana Studies, joined Staples in a conversation introduced by Penn President Liz Magill.