Very interesting thread, this. I would add that to some extent the money going to grassroots groups had the effect of helping black urban voters displace some of the old white ethnic machines. Newark was a good example. It also helped, of course, that around this same period a number of the ethnic machine politicians were plagued by indictments by U.S. attorneys.
Only problem is, gee whiz, that upon assuming power, the black politicians had the same interest in killing the money going to independent grassroots folks as the whites did.
Political moral of the story: there's a fundamental difficulty in sustaining Federal support to truly independent, local, quasi-governmental activities. The federal system of state-local governments is sufficiently strong to have an excellent chance of killing whatever it cannot get control of.
mbs
>
> Katznelson's point is well taken. However, in addition to purely
> segregationist opposition to OEO, northern and western big city mayors
> and other elected officials opposed maximum feasible participation
> because in their view this could lead to federally-funded local political
> activism over which they had no control or influence.