Meet the Authors: A Legacy of Excellence in SNCC Literature

Since their service in SNCC in the 1960’s, many SNCC veterans have penned memoirs and studies of their time in the Southern Civil Rights Movement. We have gathered 19 of these authors for one-on-one interviews about their work and their books. These are the people who were ‘on the ground’ with SNCC in Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, and North and South Carolina. Their first person accounts bring the history and legacy of SNCC to life for today’s readers and activists.

A special thanks to the volunteer interviewers: Dr. Geri Augusto (Brown University); Dr. Wesley Hogan (Duke); Dr. Emilye Crosby (SUNY Geneseo); Jennifer Lawson (SNCC Legacy Project), Larry Rubin (SNCC Legacy Project), and Danita Mason-Hogans (Duke). Their probing questions led the authors lovingly to tell their unique stories.

Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC includes the testimonies of 52 women – southern and northern; urban and rural; Black, white, and Latina – who share their courageous stories of organizing with SNCC on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement. The editors – 3 Black, 3 white – spent 15 years gathering and editing these stories. As one contributor said: “In SNCC I felt I could do anything I was big enough to do.” The book is now available in hardback, paper and as an e-book (Univ. of Ill. Press).

Hands on the Freedom Plow is available for purchase at Harriets Bookstore.

Thursday, October 14

The Power of the Past

Hard-won and hard-fought for gains in education and in political arenas are under assault as we view today’s voter suppression and voter nullification in a larger context. This has happened before and it informs our analysis as we pivot from the historical to an analysis of what is happening now.

Charlie Cobb
SNCC Veteran, Journalist, Author, Activist

D’Atra Jackson
National Director, BYP100

Hasan Kwame Jeffries
Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University

Charles Taylor
Principal, at Peyton Strategies

The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP)

Organizing to Make Political Change – 1961 – 1964

The organizing strategies used by the Black community in Mississippi to end the denial of the right to vote between 1961 -1964.

Freddie Biddle
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Board Member

Charles McLaurin
Community Organizer and Civil Rights Activist

Leslie McLemore
Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Jackson State University

Hollis Watkins
SNCC Veteran, Founder of the Mississippi Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement

Lowndes County Freedom Party (LCFP)

Putting Black Power Into Practice – 1965 – 1969

The political educational campaign and organizing strategies that the Black community in Lowndes County used to secure both the vote and assume political power.

Courtland Cox
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Chair

Hasan Kwame Jeffries
Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University

Jennifer Lawson
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Board Member

Making Our Way Into Political Office to Make Change

Using Political Office of Make Change – 1968 – Present

Using the power of political office to meet the policy, legislative and financial needs of the Black community.

Honorable Shirley Franklin
Former Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia

Mayor Chokwe Lumumba
Attorney and Former Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi

Mayor Steven Reed
Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama

Corey Wiggins
Executive Director, Mississippi State Conference NAACP

Organizing the Black Community to Get Out and Vote in 2022 and 2024: A Heavy Lift

Using the power of political office to meet the policy, legislative and financial needs of the Black community.

How to improve strategies used in the 2020 Presidential campaign in the 2022 congressional, state and local elections, and the 2024 Presidential election.

DeJuana Thompson
Founding Partner, Think Rubix & Founder, Woke Vote

Nse Ufot
Chief Executive Officer, New Georgia Project

Jamal Watkins
Senior Vice President of Strategy and Advancement at the NAACP

Dominik Whitehead
Vice President of Campaigns, NAACP

A Case Study: The Fight for the Educational Ballot Initiative in Mississippi

Quality education is essential. Hear the dramatic story of what happens when a state’s citizens push to implement public a step forward through the ballot. There are lessons for us all.

Frank Figgers
Consultant, One Voice Inc.

Nsombi Lambright- Haynes
Executive Director, One Voice

Charles Taylor
Principal, at Peyton Strategies

Amber Thomas
Vice President of Effectiveness and Improvements in Operations, NAACP

Attorneys General and District Attorneys and the Struggle to Make the Justice System Work

Using the power of political office to meet the policy, legislative and financial needs of the Black community.

Discussion of justice leads to the importance of district attorneys and attorneys general and the role voters can play in creating legal systems that work for all.

District Attorney Scott Colom
District Attorney for Circuit Court District Sixteen in Mississippi

Fred Cooke
Attorney, Former Corporate Counsel for the District of Columbia

State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby
State’s Attorney for Baltimore, Maryland

Tre Murphy
Director of Community Organizing for the NAACP-Legal Defense and Educational Fund

SNCC – 60 Years Strong! A celebratory event honoring SNCC and its veterans

REMEMBERING AND CELEBRATING

This gathering is also a time to remember the many SNCC members who have passed away since 2010. In a brief period of reverence, we will reflect together on who they were and consider the many lives they touched through their work in the Movement and beyond. We will also celebrate them and revel in the joy that after 60 years the camaraderie and caring still exist. Our community is one of multiple generations and is enriched by the mingling of different ideas and spirit. Join small groups in virtual breakout rooms to resume the discussion you never finished or start a new one; to meet those with whom you worked together or simply to see friends and catch up on whatever you’d like. Details for small group locations online will be provided in the Conference Lobby.

Hosted by SNCC Veterans
Frank Smith and Jennifer Lawson 

Friday, October 15, 2021

Criminal Justice: Effecting Change at City, County and State Levels

The Black community encounters policies and actions of government at the municipal, county and state levels daily. Change at these levels can immediately relieve some of the most fundamental problems faced by many, especially disparities in the criminal justice system.

Attorney General Keith Ellison
Attorney General, Minnesota

James Forman, Jr.
Professor of Law at Yale Law School

Judy Richardson
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Board Member

Policing and Changing the Mission of the Criminal Justice System

What some see as a solution, others see as a problem. This paradox is at the heart of many issues related to policing, community safety and criminal justice. What are possible pathways that insure security and justice?

James Forman, Jr.
Professor of Law at Yale Law School

Tishaura Jones
Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri

Roberto Rodriguez
Emeritus Associate Professor, Mexican American Studies Dept, University of Arizona

Economic Power and Economic Security

A political presence alone does not guarantee the wellbeing of the Black community. How do we insure that we are politically and economically poised for dramatic improvements at all levels?

Rev. Delman Coates
Senior Pastor, Mt. Ennon Baptist Church

Wole Coaxum
Founder & CEO at Mobility Capital Finance, Inc. (“MoCaFi”)

William Darity
American Economist

Paul Pryde
Consultant to NorCal FDC

Education for Self Determination and the Future Economy

What is necessary to actually educate and insure a strong economic presence for the Black Community in the 21st Century?

Russlynn Ali
Chief Executive Officer, XQ Institute

Danny Glover
Speaker, Actor, Activist, Humanitarian

Maisha Moses
Executive Director at The Young People’s Project

BJ Walker
President and Founder, In The Public Way

The Artist as Activist

The role of the artist in making and sustaining political change.

Andrew Aydin
Co-Author with John Lewis of the graphic books MARCH and RUN

Emory Douglas
Artist & Former Minister of Culture, Black Panther Party

Jonathan Lykes
Founder & Executive Director, Liberation House

Sonia Sanchez
Poet, Activist, and Scholar

AB Spellman
Poet, Music Critic, and Former Director at the National Endowment of the Arts

Affordable Housing

The issue of affordable housing and the creation of safe, stable neighborhoods needs to be addressed. Are there models that point towards a promising future?

Avram Fechter
Managing Director at EquityPlus

Merrick Malone
President at District of Columbia Housing Enterprises

Chris Smith
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WC Smith

Adrian Washington
CEO & Founder, Neighborhood Development Company

The Importance of Land and the Fight Against Food Insecurity

Thousands of people live in food deserts, are dependent on food handouts and spend their days without enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs, especially those of children. Innovative solutions and proposals for lasting change are coming from urban centers and rural areas fighting Black land loss.

Savi Horne
Executive Director at Land Loss Prevention Project

Leah Penniman
Black Kreyol Farmer, Author, and Food Justice Activist

Shirley Sherrod
Co-Founder, Southwest Georgia Project and New Communities Inc.

Malik Yakini
Executive Director, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network

“Stand Up and Shout: The SNCC Freedom & Justice Concert” featuring 60 years of voices of artists/activists

Virtual performances by The Freedom Singers, Toshi Reagon, Imani Winds, Martha Redbone, Johnathan Lykes, Rev. Sekou, Mathew Swanson, and C. Anthony Bryant. Join us for a joyful hour bearing witness to the powerful ways in which our lives have been transformed through the music and words of the Movement.

Saturday, October 16, 2021

The Path Forward: A Look at the 21st Century Racial Environment

Racial divisions present a stark reality and in the midst of this, we must firmly secure our rights and create the benefits a democratic and equitable society that works for all. What are some of the visions that will guide us?

Charlie Cobb
SNCC Veteran, Journalist, Author, Activist

Judith Browne Dianis
Executive Director, National Office at Advancement Project

Derrick Johnson
President and CEO of the NAACP

Imani Perry
Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies, Princeton University

The Importance of the Narrative: HBCUs and Africana Studies Programs

Preserving our culture and passing the wealth of knowledge from generation to generation is essential. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Black Studies and Africana programs play an important role.

Wisdom Cole
Interim Director at NAACP

Michael Lomax
President and Chief Executive Officer, UNCF

Josh Myers
Associate Professor of Africana Studies in the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University

Noliwe Rooks
Chair & Professor in Africana Studies at Brown University

A Model for Black-Brown Movement Building

Latina/o/x, Indigenous, and Black communities all experience racism, inequality and injustice. A look at models of movement building in these communities offers useful lessons for us all.

Rachel Gilmer
Co-Director of the Dream Defenders

Paul Ortiz
Professor of History and Director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, University of Florida

Zoharah Simmons
Professor Emerita, African American Religions & Islamic Studies,
The University of Florida and SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Board Member

Maria Varela
Organizer, Writer, Photographer and Occasional Adjunct Professor

Where Do We Go From Here?

As we look towards the future, what must we do to strengthen and protect the Black community? How will technological and demographic change affect Black struggle?

Melina Abdullah
Professor and Chair at California State University, Los Angeles

Phil Agnew
Organizer + Artist

Dr. Geri Augusto
Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs, Brown University

Ash-Lee W-Henderson
Co-Executive Director, Highlander Research and Education Center

Telling and Teaching the SNCC Story From the Inside Out and the Bottom Up

The SNCC Digital Gateway (SDG), the Civil Rights Movement Archive (CRMA) and Zinn Education Project offer three useful examples of framing the story from the inside out and the bottom up. However, these important resources will mean nothing if teachers are prevented from using them. Fortunately, educators continue to teach “hard history” and highlight the “ordinary” people —like those in their students’ own communities and the students themselves —  who were/are activists in civil rights and human rights movements. Knowing this history helps students better understand the present… and their role in shaping the future.

Deborah Menkart
Executive Director at Teaching for Change

Judy Richardson
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Board Member

Jessica Rucker
Electives Teacher & Department Chair, Euphemia Lofton Haynes HS

The Power to Decide: The Importance of Building Political Alliances and Strategic Coalitions

As we look towards the future, what must we do to strengthen and protect the Black community? How will technological and demographic change affect Black struggle?

Heather Booth
American Civil Rights Activist

Denise Diaz
Co-director, Central Florida Jobs with Justice & Nat’l Chair of Jobs with Justice Education Fund

Adam Kruggel
Director of Strategic Initiatives at People’s Action

Larry Rubin
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Board Member

The Importance of Controlling Local, State and Federal Budgets

It’s in the budget! Politicians can say anything, but their actions are shown in budgets. Whether it’s policing, schools, or clean water, there are surprising answers to be found by looking in budgets that determine so much.

Kwame Brown
Entrepreneur, Public Speaker, Managing Editor, AlwaysRealTalk Network, Political Analyst

Elijah Rogers
President Emeritus & Senior Advisor with Delon Hampton & Associates, Chartered

Carol Thompson Cole
President and CEO at Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP+Raise DC)

A Salute to Past Generations and the Encouragement of Upcoming Generations

Young organizers and activists of today join SNCC in looking at the years ahead with an eye on both the immediate challenges and those in the distant future.

Courtland Cox
SNCC Veteran, SNCC Legacy Project Chair