Servants of the People: The 1960s Legacy of African American Leadership

The repressive climate of racial hatred in America that spawned the 1960s civil rights movement also galvanized a generation of bold, persuasive, driven leaders who embodied the qualities of servant leadership. In a time of conflict, turmoil, and tragedy, these passionate and committed African Americans emerged to lead a generation from the cruelties of segregation to the revolution of civil rights reform. Beginning with the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case, Servants of the People follows the lives of eight leaders--figures such as A. Philip Randolph, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and Ella Baker--who willingly risked their lives for their cause. This revised edition also reflects on the dramatic changes in the African American political landscape since its initial publication, and expands its scope to include more of the women whose efforts were crucial to the success of the civil rights movement.