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Abstract
Gills uses the tools of historical and theoretical critique in examining the copious literature on urban politics, socio-political movements and Black mayoral politics to apply to the study of internal coalition-building within the African-American political community fueling the Harold Washington mayoral election in Chicago in 1982-83. Gills uses the involved-participant observation approach in presenting and examining the internal dynamics of a social movement organization, the Task Force for Black Political Empowerment. Gills provides a "theory of class convergence-divergence" to explain developments within the coalition and in the broader African-American political community in Chicago. Gills argues that the critical aspect was the role of middle-class leadership element drawn from various contexts of the Black political community. While able to contribute to Washington's election success, this element was not capable of contributing to the advance of other strategic (non-electoral) goals shared by the vast majority of African-Americans in Chicago. The study has important implications for Blacks in urban centers, for coalition politics and for political movements among oppressed nationalities and peoples within the United States.
Gills notes that a combination of race, nationality and class forces operate underneath political empowerment mobilizations. The democratic drive for equitable representation and resource distribution coupled with racism, or racist threats explains all-class, all community political convergence of interests. However, once these aims are realized, the middle class leadership diverges in pursuit of class-based agendas, particularly when there is no mechanism under popular control or authority to hold elite leadership accountable, and there is no longer an imminent threat being imposed externally.
