Unity, Community Organizing, and Leadership Theme Analysis

In his account of what made the movement for racial equality successful in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., emphasizes the importance of unity. Because Black southerners living in Birmingham faced so many obstacles in their push for freedom, it was crucial that they present a united front. In other words, Dr. King believes that the Black community couldn’t afford to have any internal division, since they already faced so many divisive challenges in society as a whole. The success of the movement therefore depended upon the organizers’ ability to bring together a “cross section of the community.” Then, once they managed to build a broad coalition of community members, Dr. King and other leaders trained participants in the art of nonviolent direct action—a method of protest or demonstration that relies on peaceful tactics. Without the use of violence or physical force, Dr. King and his associates had to devise strategic ways of getting through to the powerful white segregationists who controlled Birmingham. For example, they decided to boycott white-owned businesses that financially depended on Black shoppers. To do so, leadership had to forge strong connections throughout the Black community so that nobody frequented the businesses. By detailing the calculated decisions that he and other prominent figures made in 1963, Dr. King illustrates that it’s possible to lead successful revolutions without the use of violence—especially if leaders mobilize their community as a unified and cohesive force.

For Dr. King, who adamantly believes in the power of love and fellowship, it would be futile to fight racism without first practicing unity and kindness within the Black community. It makes sense that Dr. King wouldn’t want to challenge the divisive system of segregation with a similarly divided group. By uniting the Black community, then, Dr. King practiced what he preached. But doing so wasn’t particularly easy. Although everyone in the Black community was opposed to racism and segregation, not everyone agreed on the best way to address such matters. According to Dr. King, “unity has never meant uniformity,” meaning that people can—and often do—have differing opinions about how to reach a common goal. Despite the difficulty of organizing a large community to support the same “tactical” approach, Dr. King made a concerted effort to speak to the influential Black leaders of Birmingham, knowing that successful revolutionary forces must be united. In these conversations, he addressed concerns about the timing of the movement, since many influential Black people felt that the demonstrations were taking place at an inopportune time. Others were upset because they felt that Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference were outsiders who hadn’t included them in the planning of the campaign. In addition to answering these concerns, Dr. King convinced skeptics to join the movement by emphasizing that, above all, injustice affected everyone in the Black community, so they might as well come together to challenge it. After all, the “bell of man’s inhumanity to man does not toll for any one man,” but for everyone.

Achieving unity within the civil rights movement also enabled Dr. King and his fellow leaders to draw upon a vast number of participants who were willing to put themselves on the line for freedom. The sheer size of the movement was critical to its success, especially since it relied on nonviolent direct action. In order to work, this tactic needed many demonstrators who were committed not only to nonviolence but also to practicing civil disobedience and going to jail. Dr. King stresses how effective it was for hordes of demonstrators to baffle police officers by peacefully making themselves vulnerable to violence and arrest. If only a small handful of activists had been willing to put themselves at risk, it would have been more difficult for the movement to make an impact. More than just practicing what he preached, then, Dr. King’s efforts to unify the civil rights movement were strategically necessary, proving that it’s possible to make a serious impact on society simply by coming together and committing to nonviolent direct action.

At the same time, even the most unified, non-hierarchal movements often need decisive individual leaders. As a community organizer devoted to creating a united movement, Dr. King faced the burden of responsibility that came with his leadership role. He and his fellow organizer Ralph Abernathy planned to be the first ones to go to jail after the court ordered the movement to stop all demonstrations. But the night before going through with their plan, they learned that the movement might not have enough money to bail them out, meaning that they could languish in jail for a very long time. Dr. King thus faced a tricky dilemma: if he went to jail, his absence might deflate the movement, but if he didn’t go to jail, it would seem like he was unwilling to do the very thing he’d encouraged everyone else to do. As Dr. King sat with his closest associates and thought about what he should do, he felt “alone” and unsure. He notes that “there comes a time in the atmosphere of leadership when a man surrounded by friends and allies realizes he has come face to face with himself,” suggesting that sometimes it’s necessary for individual leaders to make difficult decisions all on their own. Dr. King was well aware that everyone was looking to him to make a decision, so he declared that he would go to jail. More than anything, this decision was a grand show of solidarity with the people he had encouraged to put themselves on the line, ultimately suggesting that effective leaders should stand with their fellow community members at all costs.