Protest: Origins, Resistance, Legacy
Middle Passage and Transatlantic Origins

“If the Atlantic were to dry up, it would reveal a scattered pathway of human bones, African bones marking the various routes of the Middle Passage. But those who did survive multiplied and have contributed to the creation of a new human society in the Americas and the Caribbean. It is a testament to the vitality and fortitude of the Africans that ten to twenty million lived through the heinous ordeal that many consider the greatest crime ever committed against a people in human history.” --- John Henrik Clarke

OUR WORK
SNCC, along with the local NAACP and CORE chapters, SCLC and many local organizations ended barriers to voting rights, beginning with the work of people at the grassroots levels who registered to vote and who challenged white supremacy at risk to their own lives and violence to their friends and family.
VOTING RIGHTS
SNCC, along with the local NAACP and CORE chapters, SCLC and many local organizations ended barriers to voting rights, beginning with the work of people at the grassroots levels who registered to vote and who challenged white supremacy at risk to their own lives and violence to their friends and family.
AFTER 1970
After 1970, the struggle for human and civil rights continued because of the early organizing work in the south. This work gave SNCC Organizers the confidence to continue their contributions in many different areas, including culture, education, administration, and politics.
Movement History
SNCC was originally founded to coordinate campus groups who were engaged in sit-ins across the country. Within the period of two years, it evolved into an organization focused on the negation of voting rights for millions of Black People throughout the South. As an organization of organizers, SNCC engaged in a range of activities, including Freedom Schools, Labor Organization, Poor People's Corporation, Free Southern Theater, and other creative ways to solve the problems of the Black Community.
In addition, some students left their colleges and universities to become full-time grassroots organizers. It’s important to note that Ms. Ella Baker’s vast body of experience and extensive the NAACP network opened up access to those working in SNCC.
Culture Of The Movement
SNCC helped expand the environment of freedom that had existed since the first Africans were offloaded and sold into slavery. The 1960’s Movement helped tap into this energy. Through Movement culture for freedom was expressed and expanded in song, poetry, dance movement, visual portrayals, literature, and written and spoken word.
ARCHIVE
Provides access to the files, work, oral interviews, photos, and documentation. SNCC, as a result of its focus on documentation, has available 250 + archives. No other organization has documented the history of the movement and struggle to this magnitude. Without this documentation, this portion of history would be unknown. This Archive enables SNCC to pass on information wealth to young people, organizers, scholars, and organizations looking for guidelines to see struggle on a comprehension level. It allows ordinary people to see the efforts of SNCC and take control of their lives.