Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph
Of all the chapters in this book so far this is probably the most intriguing and possibly muddled.
While Dr. ML King Jr. gets his how holiday, these are two important civil rights leaders many young Americans have never heard of. As with a number of other chapters I knew these men’s names and something about them (mostly by my past reading of King biographies) but not enough, making this chapter again a delight for me.
While most of the other chapters had a primary and secondary biographical focus it is difficult and probably pointless to figure out if either Rustin or Randolph is primary. He wants to tell both their stories. Dr. King will come later in the story and we are left to figure out exactly why.
Brooks is up front about what he’s trying to illustrate with both of these men’s lives.
THE STORY OF A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin is the story of how flawed people wield power in a fallen world. They shared a worldview based on an awareness of both social and personal sin, the idea that human life is shot through with veins of darkness. They learned, Randolph instantly and Rustin over a lifetime, to build an inner structure to contain the chaotic impulses within. They learned that sinfulness is battled obliquely through self-giving, by directing life away from the worst tendencies. They were extremely dignified in their bearing. But this same sense made them aggressive in their outward strategy. They knew that dramatic change, when it is necessary, rarely comes through sweet suasion. Social sin requires a hammering down of the door by people who are simultaneously aware that they are unworthy to be so daring.
This is a philosophy of power, a philosophy of power for people who combine extreme conviction with extreme self-skepticism.
Brooks, David (2015-04-14). The Road to Character (pp. 151-152). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
There it is. He wrapped it all up in a nice bow for us, but I’m not sure all the pieces make it in the box with the bow on top.
Two Great Leaders to Contrast Continue reading →
