The Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee and the Use of Public
Relations

 Corporate histories focus on PR as a manipulative tool--assumption is that PR is
“inherently unethical.”
 Focus on elite corporate leaders, white males specifically.
 Broaden focus by examining PR and social movements.
 Additional areas include government, education, and religion.

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Historical method
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Evidence
Interpretation
Narrative
SNCC papers
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Oral histories
Autobiographies
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Interviews
Magazines and newspapers

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The sit-in movement
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Direct action
Christian ideals and pacifism
The beloved community
Political activism
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Voter registration and political party building
Black Power
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Separatism
Black pride and consciousness

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Integrated lunch counters
Passage of civil rights legislation
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
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Segregation illegal and the right to vote
1896, Plessey vs.
Ferguson
1954, Brown vs.
Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
Civil Rights Act of 1965
 Outlawed literacy test.
 Federal oversight.
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Increased numbers of black voters
Two nationally recognized black-based political parties
Growing organizational fund and volunteer base.
News coverage
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Agenda setting via special events
950 New York Times articles during the 1960s.

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Ella Jo Baker organized efforts.
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Raleigh, North Carolina
 Easter weekend, 1960
Communication and publicity as part of initial purpose.
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Sent news releases
Produced Student Voice
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Gained support from
“sympathetic onlookers”

 Jane Stembridge
 October 1960 communications report
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Monthly newsletter
Appointment of a press committee
Promotional pamphlet
Release of monthly reports to state representatives
Appointed reporters for each protest area

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James Forman became executive secretary in the fall of 1961.
Separate factions for direct action and political organization.
Julian Bond joins staff as communications director.

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“Snick” vs. “Slick”
Reaching the press
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“David against Goliath”
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Mary E. King
Dorothy Zellner
Money
Safety
Communicating to state, local, and federal authorities.

 Friends of SNCC groups
 Satellite offices--NYC and D.C.
 Media relations
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Sent telegrams to federal government and filed affidavits and complaints with government agencies.
 FOS contacts asked northern reporters to request story from the South.

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About 1,000 white students spent the summer of 1964 registering blacks in
Mississippi.
The MFDP
Cheney, Goodman, and
Schwerner.
Atlantic City
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Fannie Lou Hamer

 Stokely Carmichael
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The Lowndes County
Freedom Organization
 Black panther SYMBOL
Vietnam opposition and government intervention

 1965--transition
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Many left the organization after MFDP defeat.
Bond began working full-time toward political career.
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Sense of defeat and disillusionment after MFDP defeat.
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Increased tension with media.
 1966 report suggested that national media was
“expendable.”

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Excessive media coverage.
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Wide availability of television.
Defining Black Power
Iconic leader
Replaced after one year
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H. Rap Brown become new chair in 1967.

 SNCC had a strong hand in advancing civil rights throughout the 1960s and used public relations as a primary tool.
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Educated constituents (ranging from political leaders to illiterate sharecroppers)
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Raised national awareness
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Changed attitudes
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Built financial and emotional support

 Eyes on the Prize
 Freedom on my Mind