In our presentation last week, Brittney and I began discussing how the previous chapter had outlined Charles Houston\u2019s philosophy of leadership \u2013 namely, the important relationship between active litigation in the courts and active involvement in the community.\u00a0 In this chapter we find Houston leaving his post at the NAACP in 1938 after seeing his vision being realized and passing the torch to Thurgood Marshall; it is important to note that Houston\u2019s involvement with the organization did not come to a screeching halt at this point (249).\u00a0 To me, this embodies a rare leadership quality which I think is important \u2013 knowing when your time is up in a specific position without abandoning your commitment to your vision.<\/p>\n
We also see how the structure of the NAACP began to undergo some changes as a discussion of how to properly incorporate the national branches was taken into consideration and slightly more emphasis was placed on field work \u2013 as evidenced by the importance of Ella Baker.\u00a0 The discussion of the future of the NAACP during such an uneasy time \u2013 financial constraints as well as continued political constraints \u2013 had an emphasis on the localization of the struggle.\u00a0 As we discussed when reading Barbara Ransby\u2019s book on Ella Baker, Baker\u2019s philosophy of leadership and social change was based in grass roots organizing and focusing on allowing communities to combat their struggles.\u00a0 The analysis offered by Robin D.G. Kelley in \u201cWe Are Not What We Seem\u201d <\/em>speaks to the emphasis of localization.\u00a0 In order to combat the politics of oppression it is important to consider the everyday, seemingly insignificant forms of resistance which may not have been groundbreaking protests but are in themselves politically important.<\/p>\n Two take away phrases from this set of readings are as they appear in the title of this post, \u201clocal\u201d and \u201cpersonal\u201d.\u00a0 \u00a0I think it\u2019s important for social movement organizations to consider the power that lies within local issues and personal struggles to ultimately bolster the overall vision for change.<\/p>\n Here are some questions I would like to offer for consideration:<\/p>\n In our presentation last week, Brittney and I began discussing how the previous chapter had outlined Charles Houston\u2019s philosophy of leadership \u2013 namely, the important relationship between active litigation in the courts and active involvement in the community.\u00a0 In this … Continue reading \n
\nposition in the NAACP in 1938? Do you think it is important for leaders in
\nsocial movement organizations to know when to \u201cpass on the torch\u201d?<\/li>\n
\nwork in the NAACP in this book as it is contextualized within the examination
\nof organization\u2019s history? Do you find any similarities or differences from
\nwhat we read in Barbara Ransby\u2019s book?<\/li>\n
\ndo you think that the personal can be political? If so, can you think of any
\nother examples of such in other social movements we have or have not discussed
\nin class?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"