“In 1960, civil rights activists underwent intense nonviolent resistance training to prepare for the hostility they would face while challenging racial segregation in America.
The exercises were anything but comfortable.
Volunteers practiced remaining calm while others pulled their hair, shouted racial insults, pushed them, and blew cigarette smoke into their faces.
Why?
Because peaceful demonstrations, particularly sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, often exposed Black protesters to physical assaults, humiliation, and police violence.
Organizations involved in the movement, including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), helped develop and promote nonviolent direct-action strategies.
The training taught activists to resist provocation without retaliating, keeping the focus on the injustice they were challenging.
These exercises were a reminder of the discipline, courage, and preparation required to participate in the Civil Rights Movement.
They weren’t simply learning how to stay calm. They were preparing to confront a system that expected them to accept discrimination and remain silent.
Their courage was deliberate. Their resistance was practiced. And their fight helped change history.
Source: @africanarchives
Historical references: LIFE Magazine, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Eve Arnold Archives.”
