THE LEGACY OF COLORED CONVENTIONS MUSIC
The SNCC Freedom Singers
The SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) Freedom Singers was a group formed by Cordell Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon in October 1962 to raise money for SNCC. The group consisted of Bernice Johnson Reagon, Rutha Harris, Charles Neblett, and Bertha Gober, all of whom were trained musicians and SNCC field secretaries. They, much like the delegates of the Colored Conventions, incorporated singing into their political practice.
The SNCC Freedom Singers toured until 1966, but reunited throughout the years to perform, and in 2010 some members of the group performed for then President Barack Obama at the White House. [1]
Watch the video below to see the group perform “We Shall Not Be Moved” at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963.
The Movement is in the Music
Explore the Video Slider below for other impact songs that provided the soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement
References
[1] Graham, Casey. “SNCC Freedom Singers (1962-1966). BlackPast, 1 Feb. 2019, www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/sncc-freedom-singers-1962-1966/.