The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

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On February 1, 1960 in Greensboro NC, just two counties over from ibiblio’s home in Chapel Hill, a group of black college students refused to leave a Woolworth’s lunch counter. This and other protests led to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

in 1963, facing violence, threats, and intense voter suppression tactics, the SNCC organized the Freedom Ballot in Mississippi to show that if given the opportunity, blacks would vote, and could have an influence on an election. The Freedom Ballot was a success, and 80,000 blacks came out to vote in Mississipi, four times the number of registered black voters.

Today we see a continuation of what the SNCC helped to start. Minority voters had a significant influence in this election [Linked content no longer available], turning out in unexpectedly high numbers.

America’s demographics are changing according to this Pew Report. As the SNCC showed in 1963, and as minority voters showed last night, that change matters.