Committee for Freedom Now facts for kids
| Founded | 1963 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Stanley Branche |
| Type | Civil rights organization |
| Focus | Desegregation of Chester public schools |
| Location |
The Committee for Freedom Now (CFFN) was an important group in Chester, Pennsylvania. It worked to end unfair separation of students in schools. This separation was called de facto segregation. The CFFN also wanted to make schools for Black students much better.
Stanley Branche started CFFN in 1963. He worked with students from Swarthmore College and parents in Chester. From late 1963 to early 1964, CFFN teamed up with the local NAACP group. They led the Chester school protests. These protests made Chester a key place in the civil rights movement.
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How the Committee for Freedom Now Started
Stanley Branche was a civil rights activist from Chester, Pennsylvania. He had helped with protests in Maryland. In 1962, he came back to Chester. He became a leader for the Chester branch of the NAACP. He worked with George Raymond to end unfair rules in businesses. They also wanted more job chances for minority groups.
By the end of 1963, Stanley Branche felt the NAACP was moving too slowly. He decided to leave and start his own group. This new group was the Committee for Freedom Now (CFFN). He created it with students from Swarthmore College and parents in Chester. Their main goal was to end de facto segregation in public schools. They also wanted to improve conditions in schools where most students were Black.
The Chester School Protests
CFFN and the NAACP worked together on the Chester school protests. These were a series of demonstrations in Chester from November 1963 to April 1964. The protests aimed to stop the unfair separation of students in schools. This separation happened even after the famous Supreme Court case, Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka. That case said separate schools were not equal.
In 1962, CFFN focused on Franklin Elementary School in Chester. This school was mostly for Black students. It was built for 500 students but had 1,200. The average class size was 39 students. This was twice as many as in nearby all-white schools. The school was built in 1910 and had not been updated. There were only two bathrooms for the whole school.
Early Protests and Success
In November 1963, CFFN protesters blocked the entrance to Franklin Elementary School. They also blocked the Chester Municipal Building. This led to 240 protesters being arrested. News about these arrests brought a lot of attention to the protests.
After this, the mayor and school board talked with CFFN and the NAACP. The Chester Board of Education agreed to make changes. They promised to reduce class sizes at Franklin School. They also agreed to fix the unsanitary bathrooms. Classes held in the boiler room and coal bin would be moved. The school grounds would also be repaired.
Expanding the Movement
The success at Franklin Elementary School made CFFN stronger. They gained new members and helped people register to vote. They also planned a citywide boycott of Chester schools. CFFN's goals grew bigger. They wanted better public schools for all of Chester. They also pushed for more jobs, better healthcare, and an end to all racial discrimination.
CFFN organized groups in African-American neighborhoods. They also built strong connections with students. Students from Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania Military College, and Cheyney State College helped. This ensured many people came to their demonstrations and protests. In March 1964, CFFN held a "Freedom Now Conference" in Chester. Important civil rights leaders like Dick Gregory and Malcolm X attended. Other leaders, such as Gloria Richardson, also came to support the protests.
Major Demonstrations and Arrests
In March and April 1964, large protests happened over several days. Many protesters were arrested. The mayor of Chester, James Gorbey, made a statement. He promised to bring back law and order quickly. The city even made firemen and trash collectors temporary police officers. This was to help handle the demonstrators.
The protests saw violence and claims of police brutality. Over 600 people were arrested in two months. These arrests happened during civil rights rallies, marches, pickets, boycotts, and sit-ins. Stanley Branche from CFFN spoke for the group. He worked with the community and helped recruit new members. He was also the main negotiator. Governor William Scranton convinced Branche to stop the demonstrations for a while. This was because a court had ordered a pause.
Impact of the CFFN's Work
Governor Scranton created the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. This group held hearings about the unfair separation in public schools. All protests stopped while the commission held these hearings in the summer of 1964.
In November 1964, the commission decided that the Chester School Board had broken the law. They ordered the Chester School District to desegregate its six mostly African-American schools. The city fought this decision. In February 1966, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court said the commission could not make rules about Chester's school separation.
CFFN then joined with CORE. They asked the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare to stop federal money for Chester schools. This was because the schools were not following Title III of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Even with delays, the schools were eventually desegregated.
In June 1964, leaders in Chester formed the Greater Chester Movement (GCM). This was a larger group to help coordinate different efforts to improve Chester. When President Lyndon B. Johnson started his War on Poverty, the GCM helped bring federal money to Chester. The GCM worked closely with CFFN and other groups in Chester. This included the local branches of the NAACP and CORE.
