Statement by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee on the War in Vietnam, Fire, Praise for SNCC Statement on Vietnam, Murdered: Sammy Younge

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee issued an official statement on January 6, 1966, denouncing the United States’ actions in Vietnam after the murder (and lack of investigation) of SNCC worker and student at Tuskegee Institute, Sammy Younge. They were the first civil rights organization to issue an official statement against the war. The NAACP continued to support U.S. actions in Vietnam and celebrated the contributions of Black Americans to the war effort. SNCC expresses the hypocrisy in the U.S. government’s claim to fighting the war for the freedom of the Vietnamese people while continuing to oppress Black Americans at home. In addition to the hypocrisy, their official statement also illustrates their belief that the U.S. “has been deceptive” in their claim of bringing freedom to the Vietnamese and calls for solidarity for all “colored people” across the globe. They end the statement by urging all Americans to resist the draft and instead fight for freedom at home. This selection also includes the SNCC press release of Sammy Younge’s murder and an article in The Movement, a SNCC publication out of California, that covers the various reactions to the SNCC statement.