Читать книгу Freedom Facts and Firsts - Jessie Carney Smith - Страница 51

The city became a focal point for one of the first large-scale community protests against segregation after the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These efforts involved a coalition of organizations, including the NAACP youth chapter at Albany State College, the Baptist Ministers’ Alliance, the Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by Martin Luther King Jr. The coalition tested the Interstate Commerce Commission ruling outlawing segregation in public transportation facilities at the Albany bus terminal on November 22, 1961. Albany State students attempting to use the “whites-only” waiting room and restaurant were arrested and jailed; two students were expelled from the college for their participation, leading to additional protests against school administrators. A second attempt was made on December 10 by an integrated group of SNCC activists who were also arrested. More protest rallies and marches led to mass arrests, but the subdued actions of Albany Police Chief Laurie Pritchett limited negative press coverage. King came to lend his support on December 15 and was also arrested. Protests continued through the spring and summer of 1962 with limited success. King and others learned important strategic lessons from the protests, however, and young activists such as Cordell and Bernice Johnson Reagon emerged from the Albany Movement.

Fletcher F. Moon