Church leaders converted the masses’ race consciousness into an assertive collective will

Evidence

Through the institution of the church, male and female leaders attempted to transform the race-conscious ideas and values of the poor, unlettered, and politically powerless black masses into an assertive collective will. As the voice of that will, the leadership championed black denominational hegemony and mobilized support for its realization. While contextualized in a religious movement, their actions opened new terrain upon which to pursue broader goals of racial solidarity and empowerment. — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent, 243

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Black Baptist church leaders were Gramscian organic intellectuals rooted among the masses — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 242; The National Baptist Convention asserted autonomous control of black racial life — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 327; Church, media moguls, and politicians formed a mutually reinforcing segregationist power system — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 124 (+1 more)