Black Leadership during Jim Crow’s America

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Black Leadership during Jim Crow’s America

The author discusses mutual and benevolent aid societies as a component of the internal cultures of African Americans in contrast to a view of these societies as the result of African American response to prejudice after the Civil War.

African American women came together to form political groups, notably the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), which they used to rally themselves against acts of discrimination through racism and sexism. Powerful women of this era, including Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell. Worked towards the uplifting of women of color all across the nation without minding their social class or condition. Other notable figures in the fight against inequality at the state level were Janie Porter Barret and Mary E. Cary Burrell. The latter was actively involved in influential organizations for the advancement of the rights of African Americans, including the United Order of True Reformers, the Women’s Baptist Missionary, and the Educational Association of Virginia. Janie Porter Barrett became the president of the state federation that was founded in 1907 with the aim of coordinating women activities in raising to the highest level of morality, home, and civic life of Virginia residents of African descent. In conformation to its pledge to uplift the morality and spirituality of women, the federation pledged to build an industrial home to rehabilitate “wayward” girls. The activities of these women salvaged the dignity of people of color that had long been destroyed by the white man through unimaginable inequality.

Booker T. Washington was one of the most instrumental figures during civil rights activism at the dawn of the 20th century. He believed that African Americans would be liberated and enjoy full citizenship by achieving economic independence. He also went ahead to call for African Americans to halt their demands for civil rights in pursuit of financial freedom. This was the worst idea during a time like that as it was the time for colored people to stand for their rights as provided in the constitution as well as challenging laws that were not accommodating. His advocacy for education consisted of the idea of vocational training for African Americans with the belief that practical skills would allow the people to better their communities. He was not for what he termed “mere book learning.” Washington was, however, wrong with his idea as it meant keeping African Americans at the bottom of the hierarchy as vocational skills did not consist of leadership roles. It confined African Americans to working manual jobs like it was during slavery. Critics like W. E. B. Du Bois challenged this thought as African Americans required both economic independence and civil rights to achieve total liberty. The education system needed to produce more intellectuals that were vocal about the plight of cloured people as opposed to masons and artisans.

Niagara Movement, the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the Tuskegee Machine were political movements that advocated for the rights of the people of color. The Niagara Movement and the NAACP were based on the belief that people of color needed education to free themselves from the inequalities presented by Jim Crow America.

However, the Niagara movement and the rest of the movements did not support some sentiments of the NAAC, which were basically the ideas of Booker T. Washington. They believed that the NAAC sold the idea that African Americans were inferior to the white man.