SNCC 60th

And now young leaders are raising their voices to build on SNCC’s legacy. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (@KeeangaYamahtta), the Princeton assistant professor, sees similarities between SNCC and a new generation of activism.

‘There are some overlaps between the civil rights movement and the struggle today,’ Taylor says, ‘including the political tensions between reforms that seem possible to achieve and more radical demands that are systemic in nature.’

For 17-year-old Thandiwe Abdullah, the history of SNCC looms large in her activism and the struggle to foster change alongside her friends.

‘Organizations like SNCC really laid the foundation for Black youth like me who want to be able to create radical change together,’ says Abdullah, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Los Angeles Youth Vanguard.

‘I see myself and my comrades as a continuation of a long legacy of organizing, and in order to properly carry on that legacy it’s important to be informed about the past.’