Essay On Martha Prescod Norman Noonan - 1515 Words

Martha Prescod Norman Noonan Martha Prescod Norman Noonan is noteworthy for her work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement. Noonan’s most notable achievements include raising money for SNCC, canvassing votes with the Albany Project, working on the Alabama Project, and contributing to Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Account by Women in SNCC. Biographical Information Martha Prescod Norman Noonan was born on February 25, 1945 in Providence, Rhode Island to a family of activists (Civil Rights History Project). Noonan’s father, who is of West-Indian descent, was involved in efforts for Pan-West Indian Unity (Civil Rights History Project). Both of her parents were members of the†¦show more content†¦At the University of Michigan, Noonan attended a luncheon talk by Curtis Hayes, a worker for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which was a student-run civil rights organization (Noonan 484). Meeting Hayes, who was almost the same age as her, inspired Noonan to join the Movement (Noonan 484). Soon after, Tom Hayden, who had just returned from a Freedom Ride in Georgia, spoke with Noonan about his experiences and further inspired, as well as encouraged, Noonan to work with the Movement (Noonan 484). In 1962, Noonan attended a joint SNCC and Students for a Democratic Society (which she was a membe r of at the time) conference, where she spoke with various SNCC workers (Noonan 484). These conversations convinced Noonan of the logic and practicality of their organization’s vision, and the members’ welcoming spirit convinced Noonan to join SNCC’s work with the Southern Freedom Movement (Noonan 485). After her freshman year at the University of Michigan, Noonan told her parents she wanted to drop-out of school to work in Mississippi as a full-time civil rights organizer (Noonan 485). Her parents strongly feared for her safety and, since she was still underage, her parents insisted she take summer classes in Detroit and find a civil rights activity closer to home (Noonan 485). That summer, Noonan took classes taught by local radicals, Seymour Faber and George Rawick, whoShow MoreRelatedWomen of the 20th Century Essays1670 Words   |  7 Pagesto prison camps for the sake of national security, and the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties resulted in arrests on a massive scale. Each prison, whether mental or physical, offered different challenges to the women inside. The purpose of this essay is to argue that although the women of each period faced different challenges and varied circumstances, by embracing their unique identities they broke free of their prison’s hold and were able to live as individuals with fulfilling lives. In the