Phil Hutchings - Moments of the Movement

While working toward similar goals of racial respect and human dignity, the paths various civil rights organizations took to achieve these goals sometimes varied—occasionally within the same organization as leadership and philosophies evolved. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or SNCC (pronounced SNICK) epitomized this evolution. Beginning in the 1960s as an interracial group advocating nonviolence, SNCC shifted its focus to political activism and later in the decade to black militancy. SNCC member Phil Hutchings recalls how his civil rights training helped saved his life years after he had adopted SNCC’s militant position.