The SNCC logo. (Photo from: http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov/press/02.htm4.jpg)
Who: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
What: A group of college students, organized by the director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Ella Baker, aiming to provoke change in society through nonviolent movements.
When: Founded in April 1960-1966
Where: Started on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, NC
Why: This group of students, led by John Lewis, advocated for equal rights. They organized movements to address different avenues of segregation:
Taylor Washington, Ivanhoe Donaldson,
Joyce Ladner, John Lewis, Judy Richardson,
George Green, and Chico Neblett,
Atlanta, Georgia, ca. 1963 (Photo credit: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr057.html)
Sit-Ins- Sitting at whites-only lunch counters and enduring the torment from the oppressors without a violent response.
A Freedom Riders bus is set on fire in Alabama, on May 14, 1961. (Photo credit: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/a-centennial-history/and_justice_for_all_1954-1971)
Freedom Rides- Groups of white and black students rode together on buses into the South, sitting wherever they pleased. When the riders reached the deep south (South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, etc.), they were met with violent beatings and hateful racist slurs. However, they continued to remain nonviolent and persistent in their efforts, until they received government and national attention.
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party- Members of SNCC organized a voting campaign for blacks in Mississippi, one of the most segregated states. Called the Freedom Ballots, the movement argued for the right to vote, fair employment, better schools and an end to segregation. The Mississippi Summer Project of 1964 aimed to register voters, organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, and operate Freedom Schools designed to teach young students how to stand up for freedom. They brought the movement to the Democratic Convention to earn a spot in the state delegation, although they were denied, they brought more attention to the issue.
Students protest. (Photo credit: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civilrights/images/cr0026th.jpg)
March On Washington- SNCC actively protested on the March On Washington. One of their leaders John Lewis spoke out about how the federal government has not done enough. SNCC challenged the government to do more.
Six months after “Bloody Sunday,” President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act. One of the pens used by the President hangs framed today in the living room of Representative John Lewis, Fifth U.S. Congressional District of Georgia. He has been elected to that office nine times.
“This bill [Civil Rights Bill of 1963] will not protect young children and old women from police dogs and fire hoses when engaging in peaceful demonstrations.” -John Lewis
Representative John Lewis
Credit: Office of Congressman John Lewis of Georgia
