Stokely Carmichael, SNCC, and Eco-Leadership

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael in 1966. Source

In this week’s readings, we discussed the concept of team leadership and how effective they can be when done correctly. In our group discussions, I spoke about the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and their take on leadership. Before globalization and networking were the buzzwords that they are today, the group utilized them in the manner that Western defines eco-leadership. According to Western (2013), eco-leadership focuses on a network of leaders as opposed to one centralized figure. The group functioned differently from some organizations and instead of utilizing top down methods, utilized a committee to achieve their goals. From their initial committee of protest group representatives, they formed an Executive Committee to help move the group forward. One member of this group was Stokely Carmichael. 

Carmichael was a master networker. In the hyperlink above, NPR refers to him as having “his hand in every major demonstration and event that occurs between 1960-1965” (Para. 2). In a time where social media is nonexistent, to be among those who cast long shadows, especially at his age, is impressive. He is well known for being a charismatic and transformational leader. In fact, in an obituary penned by the New York Times, one man was quoted as saying that “watching him made him believe that the young man could ‘stroll through Dixie in broad daylight using the Confederate flag for a handkerchief.’” So how does Carmichael relate to the idea of team leadership? 

Carmichael at the University of California in 1966. Source

Ideally, Northouse (2016) states that “for teams to be successful, the organizational culture needs to support member involvement” (p. 364). SNCC most certainly made efforts to include and educate members of the public, epitomized in the figure of the young Carmichael. Northouse (2016) further states that taking on shared leadership does have its risks, especially for the member who provides leadership outside of the team. Carmichael became the chairman of SNCC in 1966, but soon irritated his cohort as he achieved celebrity status, earning him the nickname “Stokely Starmichael”. Eventually, because his ideas became too radical for his team members (he popularized the slogan “Black Power” and became more revolutionary), he was expelled from SNCC. 

In his reflections, Carmichael thought that his expulsion “revealed SNCC’s ‘struggle between reformers and revolutionaries.’” According to Western (2013), eco-leadership is often divided between the two: reformers are typically politicians and organizational leaders who “advocate responsible or caring capitalism” while radicals are activists who believe “that reform merely prolongs a dying system” (p. 266). Carmichael died of cancer in 1998 and, despite his fractured connection with SNCC, their relationship frames eco-leadership, both strengths and weaknesses, almost perfectly.