Elections: The Real Black Power

(10 of 10)

What has already happened, of course, is that two big American cities have elected Negro mayors while a third rejected racism as an overriding issue. Both Negro candidates received vigorous support and vital votes from white liberals even though both owe their victories primarily to a unified Negro vote. After three summers of violence in the cities, this in itself is a reassuring portent. It will be up to Mayors Stokes and Hatcher to demonstrate that the only constructive—and indeed, tolerable —force in American politics is ballot power.