Based on what you know about Paul Laurence Dunbar and the status of black Americans in the early twentieth century, why does the speaker feel the need to wear a mask ?

The speaker who is Dunbar himself, felt that there is nothing that will help the African Americans in their suffering. The whites will only see what they want and not care about them. So, he decided that it is best to hide behind the mask, to show only what is acceptable for the whites while the people will hide their pain and agony behind their masks.

Explanation:

Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "We Wear the Mask" is a true depiction of the condition of the African Americans. The mask represents how they had to cover up, put on a facade to hide their pain and suffering. These masks presents a face which is acceptable for the whites, while the person behind the mask is suffering internally.

Dunbar states that the mask hides the "torn and bleeding hearts", while their "cries from tortured souls arise" to the Lord. The mask is a symbol of the pain the people go through, and their manner of dealing with it. He opines that the world will "only see us, while  We wear the mask." Feeling discriminated and hurt, they had no means to let their inner pain and anger be revealed nor could they, for it will only come back to them. So, they hide behind the mask, revealing only what pleases the world.