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The Black Church and Political Mobilization of African Americans

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The Black Church and Political Mobilization of African Americans View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Louisiana State University Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2007 The black church and political mobilization of African Americans Misty Noel Johnson Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Johnson, Misty Noel, "The lb ack church and political mobilization of African Americans" (2007). LSU Master's Theses. 2463. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2463 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE BLACK CHURCH AND POLITICAL MOBILIZATION OF AFRICAN AMERCIANS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Mass Communication in The Manship School of Mass Communication by Misty Noel Johnson B.A., Louisiana State University, 2002 August 2007 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who made this thesis possible. I would first like to thank my committee for their outstanding guidance. Dr. Goidel, it has been an honor to work with you. You have done amazing work in the field of Mass Communications. Professor Freeman, thank you for your direction and unwavering patience during this process. I feel lucky to have found a professor with such a dedicated calling for education and for giving back. Dr. Boyer, I appreciate you extending your help and being on my committee. I am most grateful to all of you. Most importantly, I could not have finished my thesis without the prodding and support of my family. Mom, thank you for showing me the importance of education and perseverance. You are a role model to me and I love you. Daddy, you have been a foundation for me, with all of your encouraging words and “pearls of wisdom.” I don’t understand them all the time, but eventually they seem to make sense to me. To my predecessors—my grandparents and great grandparents—thank you for persevering through adversities abounding and guiding the next generation into greatness. You will not be forgotten. To aunts, uncles, and cousins, your love and support have always been a comfort to me. To my friends and line sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, I would like to thank you for being there to push me, remind me to persevere and hear me whine. You got me through and I appreciate you all for it. You have all stood with me in both good and bad times. I am lucky to have crossed paths with all of you in this life. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................................ii ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Justification for the Study .................................................................................... 1 1.2 Political Behavior and the Black Church ............................................................. 3 1.3 Communication Research and the Black Church ............................................... 4 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................................. 7 2.1 History of the Black Church as a Mobilizer......................................................... 7 2.2 Public Relations Tactics for the Black Church .................................................... 9 2.3 The Black Clergy as Leaders ............................................................................. 10 2.4 Alternative Views to the Effectiveness of the Black Church............................. 12 2.5 The Black Church and the Need for Public Relations ....................................... 14 2.6 Social Change Pressures..................................................................................... 15 2.7 Political Communication in Today’s Black Church .......................................... 21 2.8 Does Religion Matter? ....................................................................................... 21 2.9 Two-Step Flow Theory ...................................................................................... 25 2.10 Group Consciousness Theory ............................................................................ 27 2.11 Hypotheses and Research Questions.................................................................. 28 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 30 3.1 Value of Quantitative Research.......................................................................... 30 3.2 Qualitative Research .......................................................................................... 37 3.3 Site Selection...................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS ................................................................................................ 39 4.1 Quantitative Findings ......................................................................................... 39 4.2 Denominational Findings ................................................................................... 44 4.3 Qualitative Findings ........................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 54 5.1 Discussion .......................................................................................................... 54 5.2 Limitations of the Study..................................................................................... 57 5.3 Conclusions........................................................................................................ 58 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 60 APPENDIX A: SURVEY .............................................................................................. 64 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW GUIDE ......................................................................... 66 VITA ................................................................................................................................. 67 iii ABSTRACT This study investigates the political and social activities of black church congregations within a southern community by assessing the effectiveness of three churches in mobilizing their congregations and serving as channels for political communication. The study pays particular attention to the differences between affiliations within the black church, the influence of religious leaders on political involvement, attitudes regarding political involvement and political influences outside of the church. The thesis begins by placing the black church in its historical context —as a giver of spiritual and community orientation as well as a social and political mobilization agent. Using survey results from Catholic and Protestant congregations, it then considers how members of the Black Church acquire their political information, their political activity and whether members feel that their religious leaders are politically influential. Interviews with religious leaders will also consider if his or her beliefs and motivations equal those of the congregation. The results reveal that while there are variations across congregations, the black church is still politically important today. iv CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Justification for the Study Since the black church was established in 1774 as the center of social, economic, spiritual and political growth, there has been support on its potential for political mobilization (Calhoun-Brown, 2001). Historically, churches in the African American community have been connected to politics because of slavery and segregation (Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990; Nelsen & Nelsen, 1975). Because African Americans were prohibited from developing or participating in American mainstream institutions the church became the channel for all of social activity in the black community (Frazier, 1964). The church was one of the first independent institutions organized by Africans in the Americas during and after slavery (Gadzekpo, 2001; Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990).Born out of struggle and oppression, it has been the center for religious practices as well as social and political activity. Basic skills, such as reading and writing, as well as the cultivation of a world view were all provided by the black church (Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990). The black church, while providing spiritual freedom, has been involved in significant movements for social and political freedom (Mitchell, 2004). Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, African Americans were not permitted to organize for fear of insurrection and rebellion by their white slave owners (Meshack, 1976). There was the outlawing of African ritual dancing, complex drumming codes as communication and medical practices, a knowledge that many
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