During Easter weekend in April 1960, a group of students at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina — who just months earlier had initiated lunch counter sit-ins — formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in efforts to coordinate nonviolent direct-action protests to end segregation.
Guided by civil rights organizer Ella Baker, the young activists, led by Diane Nash, John Lewis, Marion Barry, Julian Bond, Bernard Lafayette, and James Bevel, focused on grassroots organizing, determined to secure a more vibrant and autonomous voice in the civil rights movement.
SNCC quickly became a force within the movement, organizing voter registration drives, Freedom Rides, and direct-action initiatives throughout the South, all while remaining fiercely independent, despite the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s hopes that they would take over the youth component of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Unfortunately, by 1965, the once-united organization began to splinter into factions, distracted by divisive issues, which included internal challenges to the group’s original commitment to nonviolent tactics and SNCC’s willingness to allow white activists to participate.
Still, young people’s participation in the civil rights movement was essential to the achievement of many of its goals – most notably the quest for equal rights for African Americans. However, the vision that SNCC’s leaders had for Black America was not limited to those espoused by King or more traditional voices within the movement.
Often overlooked is the essential role that then SNCC Chairman Stokely Carmichael and others played in facilitating the launch of the all-Black Lowndes County (Alabama) Freedom Organization in 1965, which later evolved into the Black Panther Party.
Two years later, H. Rap Brown and SNCC formed an alliance with the Black Panther Party and expelled its white members. By 1973, SNCC no longer existed.
More than six decades since its founding, the nation is in the middle of multiple justice fights– as people push back against the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and violent and threatening interactions with federal authorities, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Now, in this pivotal year in America, as the nation is at war with Iran, the partial government shutdown continues, the economy in a tailspin, and civil rights under attack, the best way to stem the tide of white supremacy and fascist ideology may come through the energy and creativity of youth.
Perhaps it’s time to resurrect the spirit of SNCC. After all, Black youth have proven that they are formidable leaders, hardworking team players and understand a lot more than older adults often give them credit.