“Black Power”: Public Relations and Social Change in the 1960s

Abstract

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC and pronounced “snick”) formed in 1960 to encourage one of the most important movements in American history–civil rights. This study examines SNCC's administrative history during the mid and late 1960s and how the group's communications messages and public relations efforts propelled the Black Power movement and simultaneously made a lasting impression on the social ideologies of the late 1960s that continues today. The research reveals how through the unification of many blacks, SNCC workers also intimidated many whites and political leaders, leading to the demise of the organization. Despite the fact that the controversial Black Power movement signaled the downfall of the organization, it represented a determining and essential component of American public relations historiography. During this time, the organization combined community organizing with the use of traditional communications and public relations tactics and strategies to change the racial character of the country, promote cultural unity, and empower black Americans.