Smart Suits, Tattered Boots

Korie Little Edwards (Author) Korie Little Edwards is Associate Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University. She is the author of The Elusive Dream: The Power of Race in Interracial Churches (OUP, 2008) and co-author of Against All Odds: The Struggle for Racial Integration in Religious Organizations (NYU Press, 2005).Michelle Oyakawa (Author) Michelle Oyakawa is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Muskingum University.

"An excellent analysis of how dynamics such as the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and a Black Protestant ethic shaped successful efforts by Black clergy in Ohio to get out the vote during the 2012 presidential election. The book also vividly chronicles local tensions between politics and theologies that undermined participation by many of these same leaders with activist groups like Black Lives Matter. Smart Suits, Tattered Boots is a must read for anyone interested in leadership and civic engagement among contemporary Black ministers and the processes that can foster and/or undermine such efforts." - Sandra L. Barnes, C. V. Starr Professor of Sociology, Brown University "Featuring high quality social science research and drawing richly on a wide and appropriate range of works, Smart Suits, Tattered Boots makes an important contribution to the field." - Michael Emerson, co-author of Blacks and Whites in Christian America: How Racial Discrimination Shapes Religious Convictions "One must go quite far back to find articles that highlight the impact of Black church leadership (or really any congregational factors) on social movements … That makes the exposure to a top-notch analysis of the kinds of religious actors that Smart Suits, Tattered Boots provides especially important." (Mobilization) "[Edwards and Oyakawa] work hard to highlight that the power of the black preacher is not lost and give some insights into how new leaders can help bring about a new organization that merges the black church and new community organizations. The power of the black preacher remains, but they must hold on to the ideas of the past while working with the current system to build a brighter future." (Reading Religion)