SNCC Passion Often Accompanies Protest,

¶ … SNCC

Passion often accompanies protest, as both need each other to survive. Nothing demonstrates this more than the American Civil Rights Movement. Born from struggle, nothing illustrates the strength of the human spirit more than those who actively pursued equality in a hostile environment. All living things start from a small idea and when we look at the fight for civil rights, we can see one of the most important stepping-stones was the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Fighting for change from the bottom up in rural Deep South communities, the SNCC fought for what was right without violence. SNCC efforts inspired individuals on a grassroots level and paved the way for a new wave of protests that would eventually affect change across the country.

The SNCC grew from the energy generated by student protests. Mike Miller recognizes the significance of how the movement began. Because it "emerged from a context of struggle" (Miller), a group of "Mississippi Blacks" paved the way for many other SNCC volunteers and workers. Miller points out how many of them were veterans of World War II and experienced equal treatment while overseas. Upon returning home, they could have easily left the state and relocated in a community that was more open to African-Americans. However, they chose to stay in Mississippi and fight for "democracy in Mississippi as they had fought for it in Europe" (Miller). This initial mindset precipitated a legitimate movement that would make a difference in the lives of thousands of African-Americans. According to Joane Grant, the SNCC's mission statement begins with an assertion on the subject of the "philosophical or religious ideal if nonviolence as the foundation." (Grant 273) and it reiterates that through nonviolence, "courage replaces fear, love transforms hate" (273). The SNCC also held that "love is the central motif of nonviolence" (273). These thoughts are powerful and incredible when we consider the atmosphere in which they were created. They prove the strength and capability of man in even the worst situations. The SNCC began as the result of a movement of sit-ins that sprang up across America in the early 60s, resulting from various inequalities including fair treatment in the public sector to voting rights. According to Laurence Denver, the organization was born at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Momentum from a national movement stirred by four freshmen in North Carolina. Notable leaders of the organization include Diane Nash, Bob Moses and Marion Barry. Shortly after the organization was formed, it became known as the "shock troops of the movement" (Denver 912). The organization was significant in the March on Washington in 1963 as well as the Voter Education Project. With the Voter Education Project, the group was a "massive voter registration drive throughout the Deep South in the face of police harassment, arrests, shootings, bombings, KKK violence, assassinations, and the threat of economic reprisal" (912). The organization also initiated the Mississippi Summer project and Freedom Schools. The group's efforts are significant not only because they opened the doors for many African-Americans but also because it inspires hope on many levels.

The SNCC emerged in 1960 and, at the time, was known as a "radical organization led by young Black people" (Cobb). Cobb maintains the "radical" aspect of the group was not ideological but in what the organization "chose to do, or, really, a series of things they chose to do" (Cobb). The message was so powerful that student left college to work for the SNCC full time for a "freedom movement" (Cobb). Organizers "embedded themselves in rural Black belt communities to work for change from the bottom up instead of the top down, reversing what had been the approach to the Black struggle as led by prominent bourgeois elites" (Cobb). This approach is significant because it proves how grassroots efforts gain momentum and affect change when passion is followed by commitment. Liz Fusco said the group's philosophy rested on the pillars of "education and the emphasis on black radicalism" (Sturkey). Education was essential to overcoming inequality and one result from this mindset was the Freedom School, which sought to educate African-Americans about their history and "emphasis on traditions of black Resistance"(Sturkey). The school's curriculum "emphasized the importance of historical knowledge in the formation of social identity. But they could also serve as a source of motivation for social activism" (Sturkey). The school is a direct result of what happens when people band together at a grassroots level and fight to make change.

The grassroots effort spread with Freedom Rides, the Mississippi Summer Project and the Freedom Ballot. The Freedom Ballot in 1963 is significant because it was an election the African-Americans held among themselves to demonstrate their willingness to be involved in political events. The chasm between races was wide and almost impenetrable on many fronts. However, as it is in many instances today with racial and inequality issues, some people can reach across the divide and make a difference. The SNCC was different in that its initial approach to equality was through nonviolent means. Miller also takes time to discuss whites in the SNCC movement because for many other established organizations fighting for civil rights, Mississippi was not a priority and, therefore, whites were not interested. With many whites not interested, the government was also not interested, which made for a constant state of frustration for the African-Americans fighting for equality. In the beginning, the presence of whites was discouraged by Bob Moses but the "killing of one local civil rights leader after another, with no action by the federal government to protect them" (Miller) changed his mind. This is not to say that the togetherness was strong. In fact, Miller writes that it was "fragile" (Miller) but some white volunteers gained respect by working side by side with African-Americans. The efforts are worth remembering because tolerance works best when it everyone practices it.