The Downfall Of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

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I plan to pursue researching how the radical shift from the philosophy of nonviolence to Black Power caused the downfall of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. I want to further research how SNCC’s shift to Black Power led to a rift within the organization, lack of funding, loss of members, and loss of influence. Supporters quit providing SNCC with money because of disagreements on Black Power. SNCC lost annual income and members after ejecting white members from the organization. SNCC was eventually overshadowed by other organizations such as the Black Panthers.

Nonviolence had been used as a philosophical and tactical form of resistance throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Nonviolence was supported by Civil Rights leaders such as John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. During the Freedom Rides, marches, sit-ins, and stand-ins, nonviolent resistance was evident. However, SNCC …show more content…

Carmichael challenged the method of nonviolent resistance and placed a new emphasis on self-reliance and racial pride. At the time, his beliefs were more compatible with the emerging ideologies within SNCC, and the organization managed to grab America’s attention. However, there was great controversy and misunderstandings surrounding the ideology of Black Power. After Stokely Carmichael’s election, the concept of separatism grew within SNCC, and it became a strictly African American organization.
How did the media associate Black Power with militant separatism, and did the loss of white members in the organization have a significant impact? The media associated Black Power with militant separatism and heavily criticized SNCC and Stokely Carmichael. Other Civil Rights organizations split from those shifting away from the philosophy of nonviolence to Black Power.
How did the controversy of Black Power perpetuate a split between organizations, and what impact did this have on