In early 1963, a group of about 30 Chicagoans, young and old, formed the Chicago Area Friends of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to raise awareness and money for what they felt was the most courageous and meaningful group working in the Civil Rights Movement—the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Injustices in Chicago such as discrimination in employment, segregation and inequality in housing and schools, and disenfranchisement of Black voters quickly transformed the organization into an activist one. From 1963-1965, as a result of its programs, alliances with local community groups, and organizing, CAFSNCC was catapulted into the leadership of the Chicago Civil Rights Movement. CAFSNCC led the organizing of the Chicago contingent to the 1963 March on Washington, was at the forefront of the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations, and spearheaded the historic October 22, 1963 School Boycott in Chicago.

In 2005, in order to document the origins and development of CAFSNCC and its pivotal role in the Chicago Civil Rights Movement, CAFSNCC was reformed and the Chicago SNCC History Project was launched. Following a period of planning, a successful conference in October 2005, and an orientation period for project staff, the Chicago SNCC History Project has begun collecting materials, documents, and oral histories from the living legends of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago during this period. With the transfer of a wealth of documents from members of our executive committee to the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library and the completion of several dynamic and invaluable oral interviews, an archival collection has been established. The decision to locate the archive at the Harsh Collection was an obvious one due its status as the Chicago Public Library branch most utilized by the community. It is also significant that, unlike many archives, the Harsh Collection boasts a greater percentage of its users as community members rather than academics. The Chicago SNCC collection, once processed, will be readily accessible to the community that created the documents and can be used as a unique tool for organizing and instruction as communities chart new strategies for social change.

The Chicago SNCC History Project is seeking those individuals and organizations that were a part of or affiliated with CAFSNCC and its campaigns. We want to hear and share their stories and preserve their memorabilia and documents for current and future generations engaged in movements for social change.

The Chicago SNCC History Project will host a conversation with some of Chicago’s living legends of the Chicago Civil Rights Movement on Saturday, November 4, from 1pm-4pm at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, W. 95th St. and S. Halsted St. The conversation will be videotaped for inclusion in the archive and will feature noted educator, author, and activist Timuel Black, retired public school teacher and not-retired activist Sylvia Fischer who served as co-chair of CAFSNCC during its most active period, President & CEO of Pathfinders Prevention & Education Fund and community activist Brenetta Howell-Barrett, and Vice-President of Third World Press and activist Bennett Johnson. These four distinquished Chicagoans will discuss CAFSNCC, Lawrence Landry, the School Boycott Campaign, and the role of CAFSNCC in the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO). The Chicago SNCC History Project invites the public to bring someone young or old (or 2 or 3) and be prepared to join them and the panel in this conversation about a dynamic period in the struggle to make Chicago, and the country as a whole, more responsive to the needs of all its peoples.

If you have a story to tell about your involvement in this period of the Chicago Civil Rights Movement; have memorabilia or documents to donate; or would like more information, please contact Dr. Fannie Rushing, co-chair, at 630-829-6248, email the Chicago Area Friends of SNCC at cafsncc (at) comcast.net, or check out the website at www.chicagosncc.org.