Who was she?

Nash was raised on the south-side of Chicago; there she attended both public and catholic schools. Diane is of catholic faith and had dreamed of becoming a nun. She married James Bevel and had two children before they divorced. She studied English at Howard University, in Washington before transferring to Fisk University. She worked for the SNCC and was one of main founders, during her work and numerous arrests she became afraid of jail.

What organization she was involved in?

On April 1960 Nash helped to found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or the SNCC {sometimes called “snick”}. On that she ended her education by quitting school and took responsibility of the freedom rides from Birmingham, Alabama, Jackson and Mississippi. Diane Nash was given the position of secretary; she even fought to continue to hold the freedom rides when James L Farmer ordered them to be cancelled.

Beliefs

Nash believed in this statement, “We can’t let them stop us with violence. If we do, the movement is dead.” She used this statement many times even on James L Farmer when he was calling off the freedom rides. Another statement used by her was “We can pass that wisdom along to the young people” this statement was used when she was teaching a group of young people nonviolent tactics.

Key events in life

Diane Nash was the unofficial leader of the Nashville sit-ins. However she made headlines when she was arrested for teaching young children non violent tactics. She was sentenced to two years in prison even when she was four months pregnant. However under huge pressure from the public police authorities released under a much shorter sentence.

Assessment of contribution

Diane Nash was a brave white woman, in that times if a white woman was working with black people they were targets to discrimination. She could have lost everything, however she continued to work for the SNCC which also was the reason why James Bevel divorced her. Even though she was scared of going to jail, she conquered her fears and accepted her sentence and walked into jail. She is amazing an amazing woman, fearless, brave and encouraging women.