The Jackson family provided this property for the headquarters and home of the Lowndes County Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) staff. This is where civil rights activists came to work when visiting the area. The first SNCC project to promote the slogan “black power” was the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. This site is located in Hayneville, Alabama.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), began organizing in Lowndes County in March 1965. With its focus on grassroots organizing from the bottom up, SNCC supported local citizens in a massive voting rights campaign, including an intensive voter education program about the electoral process. Ledby and many other courageous SNCC workers joined with local leaders and pushed to register African Americans to vote and run for political office, cultivating “group leadership” rather than that of a charismatic leader.
SNCC’s efforts helped to build the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO), also known as the Black Panther Party, which became the first successful independent political party controlled by African Americans. The black panther symbol standing for courage, determination, and freedom, was created to assist the many illiterate black voters who were told, “Pull the lever for the Black Panther,” to cast their ballots.
As Carmichael argued, “It is absolutely imperative that black people strive to form an independent base of political power first. That does not mean merely putting black faces in office. The goal of self-determination is full participation in the decision-making process that affect the lives of black people; the right of ordinary people to make decisions about their own lives.” Above is a picture of movement veterans in front of SNCC Freedom House today.
