The Real Down to Earth Communication was through the Churches and Word of Mouth: A Case Study of Communication Used in the Montgomery Bus Boycott

• In Event: 'A Change Is Gonna Come': Reflecting on the Voices and Strategies of Change Agents from the Civil Rights Movement

Abstract

This case study analyzed communication during the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott. The overall research questions were how communication was used to mobilize participants and how they were kept informed during the boycott. This study reveals that boycott participants were skeptical of local newspaper coverage, and instead relied heavily on the Montgomery Improvement Association (an organization developed during the boycott), area churches and other participants for their primary information regarding the boycott.

Author

• Felicia McGhee-Hilt, Univ of Tennessee, Chattanooga