Book Quote by Ella Baker
“I think the reasons for not selecting persons like the Reverend Borders and John Wesley Dobbs were, in my book rather obvious reasons: because they were people who were basically oriented in the direction of the established method of not confronting the power structure, but trying to elicit concessions by various and sundry means of, well, let's call it accommodating leadership.”
About This Quote
The speaker critiques leaders who avoid confronting power structures, preferring accommodation over direct challenge.
In simple terms: Avoiding confrontation leads to accommodating leadership.
Key Takeaway
Challenge power directly.
Themes
leadership
power
confrontation
accommodation
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
political
activist
When to use this quote
- social movements
- organizational change
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
political theory
activism
Questions to Reflect On
- When is compromise effective?
- How to balance confrontation and negotiation?
A Different Perspective
Accommodation can perpetuate injustice.
![“I believe, the [Gunnar] Myrdal study had been made, and if we hadn't had anything else to raise questions, this in itself would have been something to provoke thought in the direction of the value of accommodating leadership.” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b76/ella-baker-10989_believe_i-believe-the-gunnar-myrdal-study-had-be_1963855.jpg)
![“In your short stay in Atlanta, I'm sure you saw that there was great competition between Martin's [Luther King] father and John Wesley Dobbs in terms of family status. You know, the bragging about whose child got a master's degree first and whose child, maybe, was the first Ph.D. Out of a…” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/422/ella-baker-10989_amount_in-your-short-stay-in-atlanta-i-m-sure-y_1895418.jpg)
![“At the risk of being simplistic, a railway metaphor comes to mind. John Wesley's marriage was a train wreck (Wesleyan historian, Henry Rack called it a 'disaster' and 'catastrophe'); [George] Whitefield's was a freight train (satisfactory but functional); and [John] Newton's was a scenic passenger…” quote by Grant Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f72/grant-gordon-240571_fitness_at-the-risk-of-being-simplistic-a-railwa_488285.jpg)
![“I didn't have any close relationship with him because, although [William Edward Burghardt] DuBois may not have been as egocentric - I don't know - he certainly was not the easiest person to approach. I think, certainly, those of us who were younger sort of respected that in terms of his…” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/926/ella-baker-10989_approach_i-didn-t-have-any-close-relationship-wit_697287.jpg)
![“[Walter White] was also one of the best lobbyist of the period.” quote by Ella Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/900/ella-baker-10989_lobbyist_walter-white-was-also-one-of-the-best-lo_712092.jpg)
