Top Down

The Ford Foundation, Black Power, and the Reinvention of Racial Liberalism

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, Civil Rights, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Top Down by Karen Ferguson, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen Ferguson ISBN: 9780812209037
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: June 13, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: Karen Ferguson
ISBN: 9780812209037
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: June 13, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

At first glance, the Ford Foundation and the black power movement would make an unlikely partnership. After the Second World War, the renowned Foundation was the largest philanthropic organization in the United States and was dedicated to projects of liberal reform. Black power ideology, which promoted self-determination over color-blind assimilation, was often characterized as radical and divisive. But Foundation president McGeorge Bundy chose to engage rather than confront black power's challenge to racial liberalism through an ambitious, long-term strategy to foster the "social development" of racial minorities. The Ford Foundation not only bankrolled but originated many of the black power era's hallmark legacies: community control of public schools, ghetto-based economic development initiatives, and race-specific arts and cultural organizations.

In Top Down, Karen Ferguson explores the consequences of this counterintuitive and unequal relationship between the liberal establishment and black activists and their ideas. In essence, the white liberal effort to reforge a national consensus on race had the effect of remaking racial liberalism from the top down—a domestication of black power ideology that still flourishes in current racial politics. Ultimately, this new racial liberalism would help foster a black leadership class—including Barack Obama—while accommodating the intractable inequality that first drew the Ford Foundation to address the "race problem."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

At first glance, the Ford Foundation and the black power movement would make an unlikely partnership. After the Second World War, the renowned Foundation was the largest philanthropic organization in the United States and was dedicated to projects of liberal reform. Black power ideology, which promoted self-determination over color-blind assimilation, was often characterized as radical and divisive. But Foundation president McGeorge Bundy chose to engage rather than confront black power's challenge to racial liberalism through an ambitious, long-term strategy to foster the "social development" of racial minorities. The Ford Foundation not only bankrolled but originated many of the black power era's hallmark legacies: community control of public schools, ghetto-based economic development initiatives, and race-specific arts and cultural organizations.

In Top Down, Karen Ferguson explores the consequences of this counterintuitive and unequal relationship between the liberal establishment and black activists and their ideas. In essence, the white liberal effort to reforge a national consensus on race had the effect of remaking racial liberalism from the top down—a domestication of black power ideology that still flourishes in current racial politics. Ultimately, this new racial liberalism would help foster a black leadership class—including Barack Obama—while accommodating the intractable inequality that first drew the Ford Foundation to address the "race problem."

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book Faces of Moderation by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Displacing Democracy by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Enchantment by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Caring for Patients from Different Cultures by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Literature, American Style by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book The Benevolent Deity by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Cutting Along the Color Line by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Expectations of Justice in the Age of Augustine by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Adam Usk's Secret by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Colonial Complexions by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Free Speech on Campus by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Young and Defiant in Tehran by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Florentine Political Writings from Petrarch to Machiavelli by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Backwoods Utopias by Karen Ferguson
Cover of the book Spectacles of Empire by Karen Ferguson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy