The Rev. Jamal Bryant Problem: When Protest Turns Into Performance

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Last week’s debate over the Target boycott quickly turned into something bigger than a dispute about where people shop. 

When Rev. Jamal Bryant announced that the fast and boycott were over, thousands of Black consumers responded online that no single pastor had the authority to make that call. The backlash revealed a deeper tension inside Black political life. It revealed the tension between older traditions of church-based movement leadership and a new...