Power- Document 2: A Delicate Balance

Each member should then read their assigned document(s) and do a post on their blog that summarizes the document(s) (what was it, who said or wrote it, what were the key ideas) and then answers one of the questions that follows the document (you can choose which question to respond to).

Carl Stokes wrote what he remembered from listening to the SCLC telling him that there were major problems for him from the Cleveland riots. Dr. King came down to Cleveland to help him to become mayor even though Stokes had already won. Stokes said to King talking about King coming to help Stokes, "We have got to win a political victory here. This is our chance to take over a power that is just unprecedented among black people. But I’m very concerned that if you come here you’re going to upset the balance we’ve created." In the end he had to tell King, who had come to Cleveland to take over the political party because of the riots, to leave beacuse King didnt know the city as well as Stokes did. Stokes had already almost won the mayor and he couldnt risk King changing the party to the unliking of the people.

What was Stokes’s concern about King’s presence in Cleveland? As a candidate? As a black person

who cared about civil rights? As an American?

Stokes was concerned that King would ruin the almost won mayor job in Cleveland because of popularity of King and change he would have brought. He thought King, because he didnt start the campaign and didnt grow up in Cleveland, wouldnt have enough knowledge of what was teh right decision to act on the people to get votes. He thought Kings views were a little different than what would have succeeded in Cleveland and he would disrupt success.