SNCC 60th

“1964 was an important year for SNCC. The group organized the large-scale Freedom Summer project, which brought almost one thousand volunteers to Mississippi to participate in Freedom Schools, voter registration efforts, and to help build the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

The project culminated when the Freedom Democrats sent a delegation to the Democratic Party’s national convention in Atlantic City to challenge the seating of Mississippi’s regular party delegation. The challenge failed.

The Democratic Party’s failure to seat the MFDP delegation left many SNCC organizers bitter with the betrayal. Their attempt to play by the rules of democracy was met with public rebuttal by national political leaders and even leaders within the Movement.