The Distinction Between Protest Elite and Electoral Elite

The teachings of Adolph Leonard Reed Jr., an American professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Northwestern, and the New School for Social Research, clearly differentiate between two significant types of leadership within the Black American community: the “protest elite” and the “electoral elite.” The protest elite comprises individuals who hold positions in churches or other organizations and have traditionally been recognized as civil rights leaders. By contrast, the electoral elite comprises Black Americans serving as elected officials. I have learned that, with Black Americans now participating freely in the electoral process and holding prominent political positions—including mayoral offices in major cities and seats in Congress—the continued need for a protest elite, especially figures such as Rev. Jackson, has diminished.

The Accountability and Leadership Style of Protest Leaders

Over the last 65 years, I have experienced the U.S. Civil Rights Movement firsthand; it is evident that protest leaders, including Rev. Jackson, are not directly accountable to any formal constituency. Study closely and you will realize that the ministerial tradition from which Rev. Jackson emerges is fundamentally undemocratic and, in many respects, authoritarian. This tradition is undemocratic because it does not provide followers with the means to challenge or influence their leaders, with all political decisions being made solely from the top down. I have concluded that this leadership style is authoritarian, as it presumes that the leader’s position automatically represents the interests of all constituents. This expectation for unity effectively stifles dissent within the Black community.

A keen eye will notice that the Rev. Jackson, as a protest leader, depended more on external, nonconstituent sources of support. Rather than drawing authority from the ballot box or accountable community endorsement, protest spokespersons derive their legitimacy indirectly, through recognition by public officials, private elites, and the media. Rev. Jackson’s public career exemplifies this dynamic, with the American news media playing a central role. Reporters, unable to distinguish between a social movement and a group of people gathering in a church, accepted Jackson as the spokesperson for all Black Americans without scrutiny. This raises the question: Is Rev. Jackson simply a media-made civil rights icon?

Comparing Rev. Jackson to Other Civil Rights Movement Icons

Let us compare Rev. Jackson to another group of “icons” from the American Civil Rights movement. How many people have heard of the Women’s Political Council (WPC) of Montgomery and its role in desegregating that city’s bus system, or the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)?

Consider the following names: Jo Ann Robinson, Rosa Parks, Idessa Williams, Georgia Gilmore, and Juliette Morgan, who was notably the only fatality of the movement—a white city librarian who took her own life after facing relentless harassment for publicly supporting the boycotters.

These women were instrumental in planning and organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956. MAYBE WE SHOULD CALL THESE WOMEN GRASSROOTS ICONS!

In her memoir, Jo Ann Robinson recounted, “After the arrest of Rosa Parks, while most Montgomerians seemed to wait for someone to do something, black middle-class women of Montgomery stepped in with an agenda.” Robinson also observed that “Ph. D.s and no d’s got together.” Volunteer carpool drivers “drove Cadillacs” as well as “jalopies.” Any prior class divisions among Black residents of Montgomery were not evident during this movement.

Background of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Before the bus boycott, Jim Crow laws enforced the racial segregation of the Montgomery Bus Line. As a result, African Americans were not hired as drivers, were required to ride in the back of the bus, and were often forced to surrender their seats to white passengers, even though Black riders constituted 75% of the ridership. Beyond these legal restrictions, many bus drivers treated Black passengers poorly: African Americans were assaulted, shortchanged, and left stranded after paying their fares.

Jo Ann Robinson’s Leadership and Endorsement

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. offered the highest praise for Jo Ann Robinson’s commitment, stating in his autobiography that “…She, perhaps, more than any other person, was active on every level of the protest.” King described her active participation in both the executive board and the strategy committee meetings during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When the MIA newsletter was launched a few months after the protest began, Robinson became its editor. She was always present during negotiations and, despite a full teaching load at Alabama State, still found time to drive both morning and afternoon shifts for the carpool.

But ferrying protesters was only one of the many tasks Robinson tirelessly undertook. She was a principal organizer of the boycott and, years earlier, had played a pivotal role in founding and leading the Women’s Political Council.

 

NOW THAT YOU KNOW THE REAL STORY…ask yourself this question: WHO ARE THE REAL LIONS AND WHO ARE THE PUSSY CATS???

 

OHB… keeping it real all the time… you know me… I am the real Brother Louie!