Northern Student Movement facts for kids

Northern Student Movement Hootenanny

The Northern Student Movement (NSM) was an American group that worked for civil rights (equal rights for all people). It was started in 1961 by Peter J. Countryman at Yale University. The NSM was inspired by student protests in the South, like sit-ins at lunch counters.

The group was connected to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Peter Countryman first collected books for Black colleges and raised money for SNCC. Then, he started tutoring programs for young people in inner city areas of northeastern cities. By 1963, NSM helped about 3,500 children. They had 2,200 student volunteers from 50 colleges. NSM also supported protests, sending volunteers to sit-ins in the South. They also organized rent strikes in the North. In the early 1960s, NSM's work focused on three main areas: college campuses, local communities, and the Southern states.

How the Northern Student Movement Started

Peter J. Countryman, a white student at Yale, helped create the NSM in the fall of 1961. It grew from existing groups like the Student Christian Movement of New England. The NSM's main goals were to support SNCC's work. They also wanted to challenge unfair treatment in the Northern states. Soon, the Northern Student Movement began projects in Black communities in the North. These projects aimed to fight against injustice.

Countryman stopped being the NSM's executive director in 1963. William L. Strickland then took over this leadership role.

Early Efforts and Community Impact

The NSM began tutoring and community programs in segregated and poor city areas. These were located north of the Mason-Dixon line. For example, in Boston's Roxbury-South End area, NSM helped people register to vote. They also started preschool programs and workshops on Black history. In Philadelphia, the Northern Student Movement opened a "freedom library." This library had books written by and about Black people.

The NSM had 50 full-time staff members. They also had between 2,200 and 2,500 college student volunteers. These students focused on helping communities. They offered tutoring and set up projects like the North End Community Action Project. This project organized protests against unfair hiring practices.

The Northern Student Movement also focused more on organizing at a local level. Later, some felt that Black people should lead efforts to decide what their communities needed. So, the group shifted to become an all-Black organization. Bill Strickland, the second leader of the NSM, led efforts like rent strikes. He also organized school boycotts and community projects.

Later Years and Legacy

A challenging event happened when NSM volunteer Bruce Payne was injured in Mississippi. He was there helping with a voter registration campaign. This event led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to visit Yale University. He wrote a letter to the university's chaplain, who supported the NSM. In his letter, Dr. King said he was "heartened by the movement in the right direction I sense at Yale."

The NSM became less active later in the 1960s. At that time, Black students began to protest on college campuses. They successfully pushed for changes like removing police from campuses temporarily. They also gained amnesty for striking students. Plus, they helped create Black studies courses, similar to what NSM had started in other cities.

Archives

You can find records of the Northern Student Movement at the New York Public Library. These records include all issues of their newspaper, Freedom North.

You can also listen to interviews with NSM organizers. These are available through the Columbia Center for Oral History Research.