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By the WASP establishment. He was contemporaneous with Malcolm X. It's important to acknowledge that then as now, he was (and is) considered far too collaborati
by jknoepfler 5y ago
By the WASP establishment. He was contemporaneous with Malcolm X. It's important to acknowledge that then as now, he was (and is) considered far too collaborationist and conservative by many of the people he purported to represent.
- wolverine876 5y agoA considerably difficult situation for leadership. Think of all the pressures from every direction, from all the voices, all centered on one person. Dr. King had no power beyond a voice - no elected office, no billions of dollars, no control of mass media, etc. And then holding it all together, guiding it, actually implementing strategies through it - and succeeding.
- throwawaygh 5y agoAlthough MLK is typically taught today as a Great Orator, his gifts as an organizer, social critic, and leader were probably more important to the long-term trajectory of the civil rights movement. Which is saying something, since he was an exceptionally effective orator. If you're curious, the first portion of his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is essentially a case study in organizing and guiding a disparate social movement.
- wolverine876 5y agoYes, one of the most revelatory pieces I've ever read. (When I wrote that King had 'no power but a voice', I didn't mean 'no power but oration'; I meant that all King could do was speak to people - individually, in organzing meetings, publicly, etc. - and try to persuade them.)