Organized social protest rarely occurs in a vacuum, and such was the case with the Montgomery bus boycott. Many saw the boycott as an action that was spontaneous in the sense of developing after an incident, though an analysis shows this was not the case. Either the boycott was spontaneous, or it was planned over a period of time prior to the incident and carried out with some care. Decades of humiliation and brutality on city buses motivated African-American political, social, and religious leaders to form coalitions and act. Chief among the organizers of the boycott were determined black women.
As Jo Ann Gibson Robinson puts it, "The masses of blacks, incapable of defending themselves, wanted competent people of their race to intercede with proper officials for better treatment on transportation lines and other public facilities" (27). Troubling incidents on the city's buses had been occurring with increasing frequency. The general population in the black community was frustrated, angered, and resentful. They believed themselves facing a system of segregation that was so ingrained that it was virtually impossible to hope for relief. Even the mention of the idea of integration among whites would lead to bloodshed and arrests. Thus the average black person had no choice but to place the matter in the hands of their community leaders and hope for the best.
One of the main groups that blacks turned to with their grievances was the Women's Political Council (WPC). Founded in 1946, the WPC was mostly composed of professional black women, whose mission was to elevate their race: "We were 'woman power," organized to cope with an injustice, no matter what, against the darker sect" (Robinson 23). By 1955, the WPC had three chapters with about 100 members each. Prior to the bus boycott, the WPC was involved in Montgomery city politics, often attending council meetings at the request of the mayor. After the boycott, the WPC...