What Was James Forman Experience As A Student

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Throughout the years of the 1950’s and 1960’s the civil rights contributed to building leaders fighting for the civil rights of African Americans.In today’s time there are only a few people who are thought about when the words “civil rights” come up. Leaders such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X are names that ring bells to those talking about civil rights, but even though those people played a significant role there were people who were equally effective but not as known. A man by the name of James Forman is one of the civil rights leaders whose name rarely comes up but his actions and job throughout the civil rights effected it entirely.The purpose of this research paper will be to identify James Forman's experience as a student, …show more content…

James Forman’s participation and affiliations in many different movements such as CORE and the Albany movement which earned him many connections. In September 1961 James Forman received a phone call from Paul brooks giving James information about the formation of the SNCC giving him influence for both him and his wife to join (The Making Of Black Revolutionaries, 221-222). When James Forman joined the SNCC he stated “Diane Nash Bevel was responsible for the organization of a lot of us including myself” meaning that he was taught certain ways of doing things such as coordinating in the SNCC (A Circle of trust: remembering sncc, 36). When time passed James dedication as well as his involvement in the freedom rides made him a full time worker for the SNCC. Clayborne Carson states In Struggle: SNCC and The Black Awakening of the 1960’s that “SNCC was born during a period of extensive student protest activity” growing the SNCC (19). In 1961 James Forman decided to join the freedom rides and later was arrested, after his arrest he went to work in the SNCC full time earning the job of the executive secretary (The Black Past, Par. 3). James was selected to be the executive secretary of the SNCC because of his early training as well as his knowledge in finances. Forman’s job as an executive secretary included guiding the organization, organizing, expanding and handling the finances of the organization. Forman’s leadership in SNCC made it more powerful as an civil rights organization. James job as the executive secretary lasted 5 years and played a large part on how events were