Honoring 65 Years of Student-Led Change: Celebrating the Legacy of SNCC at Shaw University

This April marks the 65th anniversary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), founded at Shaw University from April 15–17, 1960. Guided by civil rights leader and Shaw alumna Ella Baker, class of 1927, student activists from across the South gathered on our campus to organize and launch what would become one of the most influential youth-led movements of the Civil Rights era.

SNCC’s legacy of nonviolent protest, voter advocacy, and community organizing lives on today. “When you think about Shaw University and its lasting impact—not just in North Carolina, or the Southeast, but across the world—you must consider the legacy of SNCC and the work of Ella Baker,” said Reverend Sharita Michelle Williams, director for the Center for Racial Social Justice at Shaw University. “Ella Baker lived out her faith—and so did the students who answered the call to justice. From fighting for voting rights to riding for freedom in Mississippi, they took their beliefs to the front lines.”

We honor their legacy and remain committed to shaping leaders who advance justice and equality.