Shall We March On? An Analysis of Non-Electoral Participation in the Black Community in the Post-Civil Rights Era.

COMMUNITY involvement; COMMUNITY life; POLITICAL participation; SOCIAL participation; SOCIAL action; PUBLIC demonstrations; POLITICAL activity of African Americans; SOCIAL interaction; PICKETING; PROTEST movements; UNITED States history, 1969-

Using data from the 1996 National Black Election Study, this study examines the extent of non-electoral activism in the post-civil rights era. Specifically looking at attending a political rally, signing a petition, attending a protest, and participating in picketing and boycotting, the author finds that membership in organizations with an African American-focused agenda and membership in community-based organizations are important facilitators of non-electoral activism among Blacks. An important finding is that, in the modern context, religiosity in the African American community works to suppress non-electoral political involvement. These findings are important because they suggest that the historical image of the Black church as an incubator of an oppositional political culture is no longer accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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