Topic: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a prominent organization during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Founded in April 1960 by young activists who were students involved in the sit-in movement, SNCC played a vital role in organizing and leading nonviolent protests against racial segregation and discrimination.
SNCC members, often referred to as "SNCC workers," were primarily young people who engaged in grassroots community organizing, voter registration drives, and direct action campaigns to challenge white supremacy and promote civil rights for African Americans. SNCC was committed to nonviolent tactics and believed strongly in the power of ordinary people to create social change.
Some of the most well-known leaders of SNCC include Stokely Carmichael, John Lewis, Diane Nash, and Ella Baker. SNCC was instrumental in organizing Freedom Rides, Freedom Schools, and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
SNCC's impact on the Civil Rights Movement was profound, as the organization helped to bring attention to the struggles of African Americans in the South and played a key role in shaping the trajectory of the movement. Though SNCC disbanded in the early 1970s, its legacy continues to inspire activists fighting for justice and equality today.