Chapter 4, Albany and Lessons for the Future, 1961-1962 Summary and Analysis

Charles Sherrod and Cordell Reagon, SNCC volunteers who had been active with the voter registration efforts in Mississippi, moved their base of operations to Albany, Georgia in the summer of 1961. Albany was the sight of one of the first federal voter's rights suits under the 1957 Civil Rights Act. It was also a hotbed of activity at the time as the black citizens were embroiled in a fight with the city and county governments for urban renewal. Upon arriving and meeting some of the more prominent citizens, including the King family, Sherrod and Reagon decided to increase their actions to desegregation of public facilities and transportation. On November 1, Sherrod and Reagon rode a bus from Atlanta to Albany in order to test the new ICC law. However, the...