Joining Hands: Politics and Religion Together for Social Change by Roger S. Gottlieb

Author:Roger S. Gottlieb [Gottlieb, Roger S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780429968051
Google: YwDFDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 52131910
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2002-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

The spiritual brilliance of the civil rights movement unfolded in a context of competing political and economic interests that cannot be comprehended without recourse to the theoretical tools of secular progressive politics. These tools stress opposing forces rather than moral values and are oriented toward finding ways to mobilize oppressed or disenfranchised groups to create a more just society. The universality of Christian love, accessible to each particular individual, has little role here. In practice, when progressive alliances and federal interests were not at work, the movement stalled. Beyond the tightly knit African-American communities of the South, the goal of a public “dignity” disconnected from concrete changes in economic conditions had little relevance; and goals more suited to the concerns of African-Americans in urban, industrial settings could not be achieved simply by the willingness to suffer.

Thus, Northern cities applauded King’s efforts to desegregate the South but were less than enthusiastic when he challenged their own racist housing or employment patterns. Chicago, for instance, responded to the SCLC’s fair-housing campaign with widespread resentment and violence. Similarly, California voted overwhelmingly in favor of a referendum to allow for segregated neighborhoods and to reverse a fair-housing statute.44 The political fact of the matter is that the social alienation, minority status, and economic impoverishment of African-Americans gave them little leverage for social change.

In speeches in Chicago, during King’s ill-fated campaign for fair housing, the exchanges went like this:

“What is our problem?” King would ask.

“Tell us?” the people would cry.

“It is that we are powerless—how do we get power?”

“Tell us, Martin!”

“By organizing ourselves. By getting together.”

“That’s right!”

“We are somebody because we are God’s children.”

“That’s right!”45

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