Long March Ahead

African American Churches and Public Policy in Post-Civil Rights America

Autor: Smith, R. Drew; Savage, Barbara Dianne; McLaughlin, Megan E.; Owens, Michael Leo; Cohen, Cathy J.
Editor: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822333586
eISBN Pdf: 9780822386254
Lloc de publicació: Durham , United States
Any de publicació digital: 2004
Mes: Desembre
Pàgines: 256
DDC: 261.8/089/96073
Idioma: Anglés

Descripció

Analyzing the extensive data gathered by the Public Influences of African American Churches project, which surveyed nearly two thousand churches across the country, Long March Ahead assesses the public policy activism of black churches since the civil rights movement. Social scientists and clergy consider the churches’ work on a range of policy matters over the past four decades: affirmative action, welfare reform, health care, women’s rights, education, and anti-apartheid activism. Some essays consider advocacy trends broadly. Others focus on specific cases, such as the role of African American churches in defeating the “One Florida” plan to end affirmative action in college admissions and state contracting or the partnership forged between police and inner-city black ministers to reduce crime in Boston during the 1990s.

Long March Ahead emphasizes the need for African American churches to complement the excellent work they do in implementing policies set by others by getting more involved in shaping public policy. The contributors explore the efficacy of different means of public policy advocacy and social service delivery, including faith-based initiatives. At the same time, they draw attention to trends that have constrained political involvement by African American churches: the increased professionalization of policy advocacy and lobbying, the underdevelopment of church organizational structures devoted to policy work, and tensions between religious imperatives and political activism. Long March Ahead takes an important look at the political role of African American churches after the great policy achievements of the civil rights era.

Contributors
Cathy J. Cohen
Megan McLaughlin
Columba Aham Nnorum
Michael Leo Owens
Desiree Pedescleaux
Barbara D. Savage
R. Drew Smith
Emilie Townes
Christopher Winship

Contents
Preface
Introduction by R. Drew Smith
1. Assessing the Public Policy Practices of African American Churches by R. Drew Smith
2. African American Churches, Affirmative Action, and the Campaign against the One Florida Plan by Barbara Dianne Savage
3. The Role of African American Churches in Crafting the 1996 Welfare Reform Policy by Megan E. McLaughlin
4. Contestant, Advocate, Implementer: Social Services and the Policy Roles of African American Churches by Michael Leo Owens
5. Service Provider or Policymaker? Black Churches and the Health of African American by Cathy J. Cohen
6. African American Churches and Reproductive Health Rights by Emilie M. Townes
7. African American Clergy and Urban School Reform by Desiree Pedescleaux
8. End of a Miracle? Crime, Faith, and Partnership in Boston in the 1990s by Christopher Winship
9. African American Churches and the Evolution of Antipartheid Activism by Columba Aham Nnorum
Appendix A: Overview of National Sample for the 1999-2000 Black Churches and Politics Survey
Appendix B: PIA AC Project Overviews
Contributors
Index