Candie Carawan facts for kids

Carolanne Marie "Candie" Carawan (born in 1939) is an American civil rights activist, singer, and author. She is well-known for helping to make the protest song "We Shall Overcome" popular during the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. She did this important work with her husband, Guy Carawan.

Candie Carawan's Early Life

Candie Carawan was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1939. Her parents were Howard and Lois Anderson. Her father worked as a geologist, studying rocks and the environment.

College and Civil Rights

Candie went to Pomona College. She became very interested in the civil rights movement, which worked for equal rights for all people. During her third year of college, she studied at Fisk University in Nashville. Fisk University is a historically black college, meaning it was founded to educate African American students.

Candie learned a lot there. She said she learned about "southern black people, racism, nonviolence, police, jail, southern courts." She also met important leaders like James Lawson. She joined in student protests to end segregation in schools. Segregation meant keeping people of different races separate. Candie was lucky because her parents were out of the country, so she didn't have to worry about their reaction to her activism.

Working for Change

In March 1960, Candie went to her first meeting at the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee. This center was a place where people learned how to work for social change. There, she met Guy Carawan, who she would later marry. She also became a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). This group was made up of students who used peaceful protests to fight for civil rights.

Protests and Jail

During her time as an activist, Candie was arrested after two weeks of "sit-ins." Sit-ins were protests where people sat in places like lunch counters that were segregated, refusing to leave until they were served. When she was in jail, the guards separated white women from black women. Candie remembered that "The only connection we had with the others was the music." Even though she was in jail, her actions helped end segregation at lunch counters in Nashville.

Candie later said she was "naive" at first. She thought a few protests would quickly change the world. However, the SNCC, the student group she was part of, helped reduce fear in places like Mississippi. They also encouraged many more people to join the civil rights movement.

Spreading the Word

Candie moved back to California to finish college. She shared what she had learned about the civil rights movement in the South. She spoke to different groups and even got a professor involved. While in California, she and Guy organized a protest to support the Freedom Riders. Freedom Riders were activists who rode buses into the segregated Southern United States to challenge local laws.

Later, Candie and Guy traveled across the South. They lived in places like Johns Island, South Carolina, and Blackey, Kentucky. They had two children, Evan and Heather. For a while, Guy and Candie toured Europe as folk artists, sharing their music.

Since 1966, Guy and Candie have collected songs from the civil rights movement. They have published several books and albums. Some of their collections include Ain't You got a Right to the Tree of Life?, We Shall Overcome, Voices from the Mountains, Coal Mining Women, and Sing for Freedom.

Candie Carawan's Personal Life

Candie married Guy Carawan in 1961. They had two children, Heather and Evan Carawan. Candie still lives in New Market, Tennessee. She continues to work with the Highlander Research and Education Center, helping to educate and inspire new generations.