Historical Spotlight: The Albany Movement
The fight for equal rights, treatment, and justice has always been marked by loud revolutionaries like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks who fearlessly put their lives on the line. However, bold demonstrations like the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama, weren’t the only times Black Americans were fighting for change. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on an organization called The Albany Movement which was formed to eradicate segregation in Southwest Georgia.
The Albany Movement was formed in November 1961 as a desegregation and voters’ rights coalition in Albany, Georgia. It was founded by local black leaders, ministers, members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to draw attention to the brutal segregation practices in the region and get Black people registered to vote.
William G. Anderson was president and Slater King was vice president. The first official meeting included representatives of eight different organizations and the consensus wanted to fight for negotiation more than direct action. The incorporation documents were drawn up by attorney Chevene Bowers King, who was already heavily involved in the fight for justice.
Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) also helped in the efforts, but some local leaders opposed their involvement and wanted more long-term solutions instead of short-term organizing. At the time, the Black leadership in Albany was initially reluctant to participate with peace activists from outside the area.
The Black community, which made up 40% of Albany’s population, was suffering from the segregation policies in place. For decades, the situation for Black residents was insufferable and more than likely dated all the way back to slavery. The majority of sexual assaults by white men against Black female students at the all-black Albany State College were completely ignored by law enforcement.
Local news stations such as WALB and newspapers like The Albany Herald refused to truthfully report on the abuse many of the workers involved in the movement faced from local white people. The Black community was demonized and referred to as a racial slur consistently in print and on air. The movement exposed how law enforcement worked with the corrupt press to get intel on what was planned and identify targets, which ultimately led to distrust and journalists being banned from meetings and conferences.
On November 1, 1961, a group of local Black students tested the Federal orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) which stated that “no bus facility, bus, or driver could deny access to its facilities based on race.” After the group was denied from using the white waiting room, they left peacefully, but immediately filed a case with the ICC since the bus terminal didn’t want to comply with the ruling. Unfortunately, the mayor, city commission, and police chief formed a plan to arrest anyone who tried to force desegregation on charges of disturbing the peace.
Just a few weeks later on November 22, the Trailways station was tested again for compliance by a group of youth activists from the NAACP and SNCC. This time, the students were arrested and two chose to stay in jail instead of posting bail to bring more attention to their efforts for integration and demands for justice. 100 students from Albany State College marched from their campus to the courthouse in protest of the arrests.
Similar to the COINTELPRO practices that were heavily being used in other areas of the country, Laurie Pritchett, the Albany police chief, carefully studied the movement’s strategy and developed a plan to undermine the efforts. He utilized mass arrests but made sure to avoid violent incidents that could attract national attention and outrage. He used non-violence against non-violence to refute Dr. King’s strategy, and even dispersed the prisoners to county jails all over southwest Georgia to prevent his jail from filling up.
Dr. King was jailed twice when visiting the area in December 1961 and July 1962. Both times he refused to post bail in order to show strength in the resistance. During the second stint in jail, the police chief discreetly ordered Dr. King’s release to get him out of town.
After a year of activism with little to no tangible results, the movement started dying down. During one demonstration, children’s toys and paper balls were thrown at the police and Dr. King called for a “Day of Penance” to promote non-violence and maintain the moral high ground.
To some people, The Albany Movement is considered a failure since it didn’t successfully integrate public spaces, but to others, it is seen as a success. People directly involved in the movement praised the strategy and tactics used because they helped influence future integration and policy change efforts.
Dr. King stated that protesting against segregation in general was the biggest setback of the Albany Movement because the protest was too vague. He thought that focusing on integrating lunch counters and buses might have gotten better results. He also said that the Albany Movement was thoroughly analyzed when planning the strategy for the Birmingham protests to ensure later tactics were more effective.
Local activism continued in the area and even almost saw a Black American get elected to city council. In March 1963, the city of Albany removed all citywide segregation ordinances following a 6-1 city commission vote. Later that year in September, the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit found that the Chief of Police and other city officials had still been enforcing the illegal ordinances after they were repealed.
When you really think about it, the people who used the tactics of mass incarceration and over-policing of Black Americans are still alive. The 60’s and 70’s weren’t that long ago. There are still remnants of that old Jim Crow and segregation mindset left in those secluded parts of the Deep South.
Although the effectiveness of the Albany Movement had mixed opinions, it still served as a beacon of hope for a very segregated, very hostile part of the country. Black Americans were suffering as a result and something had to be done to improve conditions and treatment.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
