The teenagers who spontaneously launched sit-ins across the South in the spring of 1960 became the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, activists and veterans without whom the civil rights movement could not have succeeded. Their dedication to radical democratic possibility was transformative.

In the trajectory of the lives of people like Diane Nash, John Lewis, Marion Barry, Bob Moses and Julian Bond, we can see the entire arc of the most decisive era of the American civil rights movement. The actions of this group led to a game changing set of programs and protests, among them the March on Washington, the Freedom Rides, Freedom Summer and Freedom Schools, to name a few. We will examine their lives and the important roles they played in a tumultuous time.

Format: Class participants should read the text prior to the beginning of the class and are expected to choose one of the following three options:

(1) A presentation on a suggested or approved topic or individual. This will involve a 10-20 minute oral presentation followed by class discussion.

(2) Participation in a debate or performance on a suggested topic or individual.

(3) Leading a class discussion on one of the suggested topics (researching the topic, developing and distributing discussion questions and additional relevant material in advance of the discussion date).

Resources/Expenses: Our basic texts will be The Shadows of Youth: The Remarkable Journey of the Civil Rights Generation by Andrew Lewis, Hill & Wang, 2010 (available in paperback, Kindle or used from $4.00 and up) and The Children by David Halberstam, Fawcett Book, 1998, (available in paperback, Kindle or used from $5.63 and up). An additional, supplementary bibliography will be provided at a later date.

Coordinators: Marilyn and Susan co-coordinated the courses, Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World and The Panama Canal: Creation of the Path between the Seas.