Excerpt from Diane Nash: Chapter 15 - Conclusions

Diane Nash played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. She, like many women, is not included in most media and historical accounts of the 1960s. However, it is evident that Ms. Nash served in several roles and her work had an important effect on the direction of the Movement. First, she stepped forward as one of the original soldiers in the army of young people who changed America’s racial climate. She was a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee that used nonviolent soldiers to create the energetic force that drove the Movement. Nash’s leadership also helped to ensure the continuation of the most explosive projects that the Movement would undertake, namely, the Freedom Rides and the voter registration demonstrations in the Deep South. In addition, she coordinated troops of young people who volunteered to be part of the Movement, while working for SNCC and SCLC. She developed many of the plans and strategies with which the workers would arm themselves when undertaking the task of desegregation or gaining voters’ rights. It is evident that Diane Nash was a commanding general of the young people who would touch the conscience of the American people and become an important part of the country’s history. Ms. Nash was able to continue her dedication to the cause and to non-violent direct action, despite many obstacles, including her gender, lack of financial resources, and public resistance to change. In recent years, Ms. Nash has been recognized for her immense contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. She is deserving of the attention and credit that is finally being given to her for her outstanding role as the fire of the Civil Rights Movement. In March 2003, she received the John F. Kennedy Library’s Distinguished American Award, which is “the highest kind of praise” the library can give.[1] This distinction is given to those individuals who have played significant roles in American public affairs and who have contributed to the moral education of the country. In the following year she received the LBJ Award for Leadership in Civil Rights. This award is presented to people who “exhibited moral clarity and physical courage at a time of uncertainty and danger.”[2] At the present time, Ms. Nash receives nationwide invitations to speak about her experiences. [1] John Shattuck, CEO of the Kennedy Library Foundation, 30 March 2003 Forum on “Nonviolence and the Quest for Civil Rights.” John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, Massachusetts. [2] Edwin Dorm, Dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, 29 March 2006, Civil Rights Symposium, L .B. Johnson Library, Austin, Texas.