Strategies for Organizing & Voter Registration

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Strategies for Organizing

Being in SNCC often meant “being SNCCy,” and doing what you had to do. Dorie Ladner remembered impersonating a lawyer to free her comrades from jail.

We all had different experiences, but we were totally committed, that’s the difference. Passion and commitment. That is what sustains you and keeps you going. We came into the movement with that mindset. – Dorie Ladner, Session 2 page 3

SNCC was involved with a number of other organizations, including the Masons and the Deacons for Defense. Hollis Watkins talked about how the presence of the Deacons at nonviolent protests helped protect Black marchers, and even encouraged law enforcement to prevent white anti-protestors from escalating the event out of concern for their safety.

In many ways, national and local chapters of organizations were not always unified. Dave Dennis recalled how different his relationship was with the national NAACP office and local NAACP members, as well as the tensions that existed within his own organization between his chapter and the national CORE office.

A key strategy for organizers was mapping power. By following the money, they could see who really was in control. Timothy Jenkins shared, “It wasn’t the problem of the policeman, it’s the person who hires the policeman… And that convinced me that the only solution to the question of civil rights for the Black man in the United States was being part of this process that makes the decision on who shall make the decision.”

A Great Debate

As SNCC began to become more established, a debate stirred within the organization that threatened to tear it apart. Many had joined the organization wanting to be involved in direct action protests, and they felt that putting energy towards voter registration was not the right strategy. However, as it soon became clear, voter registration in Mississippi still very much involved putting your body on the line.