The Present Lethargy of Black Voluntary Associations

Abstract

IN THE 1960s blacks evidenced a rich and varied associational life which contradicted the observations made by some social researchers that they were deficient in organizational ability, a non-community characterized by a conspicuous absence of social roles, agencies, organizations and leadership.' Organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), The National Urban League, the Black Muslims, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Black Panthers were widely publicized. In addition to these national associations, blacks at the local levels exhibited considerable organizational skills in developing protest associations.2 While the objectives and philosophies of the various national and local associations might have differed, they nevertheless by their numbers presented a picture of considerable organization. However, by midway through the 1970s, black associations had gone into a period of lethargy. Even the granddaddy of black voluntary associations, the NAACP, was encountering problems3 and was being challenged by other black associations and members of the black community over its stand on busing.4 In seeking to locate reasons for this condition, one may suggest the following: lessening support, leadership struggles, changes in goals, modification in membership criteria, or an inability to modify strategies in keeping with the tenor of the times. An editorial in Ebony suggests other reasons, such as loss in support from liberal whites, decrease in foundation grants and the unstable economic situation.5 The Reverend Ralph Abernathy cites the lack of support from middle-class blacks as being a primary factor in the problems confronting SCLC.6 While these reasons may have validity, they do not entirely explain the present lethargy of black voluntary associations. For example, voluntary associations in other ethnic communities exhibit a tendency to take on successor goals, associational behavior not shown in the recent history of black organizations. Consequently, we are left to ponder