The Making of the Leader-
Diane Bevel Nash, born in 1938, grew up in a strictly Catholic house hold. She experienced racism early in life, however small, but her family structure gave little credit to the racism in the social culture, they refused to make it an impactful occurrence of their daily lives, so Diane Nash grew up with an ingrained refusal to acknowledge racism. Although Diane Nash was educated in Tennessee the civil rights activist is originally a Chicago, Illinois native. She grew up in a community where Racial segregation and discrimination was closer to myth than reality. After college and during her time working to stop racial discrimination Diane met James Bevel, a SCLC member, whom she later married. Diane’s approach to changing the social atmosphere of the south came forth when Diane herself experienced racism as a university student in Nashville, Tennessee. She acknowledged the social surroundings and decided that to be any source of change she needed more preparation, this lead her to attend disobedience workshops, that prepared her and gave her the patience to be apart of the nonviolent protest events. She didn’t simply decide one day to lead the lunch counter sit-ins, and instead made it a priority to be prepared for the worst. This made her a better leader, because she valued the preparation of her volunteers. Diane Bevel Nash had a very significant impact on the Civil Rights movement, she gave students the opportunity to fight for what they believed in.
Her Views in the 20th Century:
Her Leaps in a Movement of Steps-
1. Diane played a pivotal role in the integration of restaurants in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her peers were essentially the guinea pigs for the student protests. Although she was a nonviolent skeptic Nash challenged her own limits and opened herself to the teachings of James Lawson. It may seem like a small part of her role as a leader, but thanks to this experience Nash was able to promote the efforts of a volunteer first hand. Her first accomplishment as a leader, was the efforts she took to face her own fears while she worked to recruit and organize the beginning of the student protests.
2. Her next big accomplishment was her work in helping to found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC. Which went on to become one of the most influential groups in the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. may have been a major face during the Civil Rights movement, but SNCC chose to remain solely independent in creating their own actions and strategies, without the aid of Mr. King. Along side Ella Baker and Marion Barry, Diane Nash used SNCC as a student volunteer common ground. It was a face to acknowledge and a group to be apart of. It provided protection and purpose to the number of student activists that needed an outlet. Helping to create this group ended up having such a monumental impact on the youth of the time.
3. Her next big accomplishment came from her personal partnership and her working partnership with James Bevel. As a pair they were awarded the “SCLC Rosa Parks Award”, for their work in initiating and executing the Selma Right to Vote Movement. This was among Nash’s more federal accomplishments, the SNCC and Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) came together to begin voter registration. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, white resistance was a major road block, to which Nash and her co-activists responded by reaching out to Martin Luther King Jr., who was able to gain the support of many influential civic leaders. The march from Selma to Montgomery, initiated by Bevel, was a result of the death of Jimmie Lee Jackson at gun point by a Alabama State Trooper. Jackson was attempting to protect his family in a diner that they had fled to after participating in a nonviolent movement. The movement gained so much media attention Congress was forced to enact voting rights that included and protected all Americans, no matter the race.
Leadership Qualities
1. Diane Nash was originally a student activist herself and although she first doubted the power of non-violent activism she expanded her thoughts and beliefs. Later she used this belief and experience to help motivate and gather student activists. In this way she used Emotional Intelligence. She was able to understand not only the difficulty of the work that her followers were going to experience, but also what they were fighting for and that brought her to a level that allowed her to speak to her volunteers and increase their confidence. The workshops she attended were her tools in teaching her volunteers how to have patience and determination as they would inevitable be subject to inhuman treatment. Diane was able to use this quality effectively, it helped her gain trust from her volunteers and trust equals power. She had the support of a vast number of youth activists. She became their voice and with that voice she was able to reach Congress and the federal power.
2. Her next leadership quality was her unwavering determination. From the moment that she began to invest herself in this fight, Diane never lost her motivation. She did whatever she needed for her cause, before she had people behind her that would help her gain the masses she needed to make an impact, Diane did it herself. She ignored the insecurities, the feeling of being too small to make a difference, and slowly but surely made the necessary actions to gather her volunteers and organize her activist groups. This trait helped her especially when she needed to appeal to the federal government, the route of the power that would determine the ultimate change, when she refused to ask for help from Martin Luther King Jr. it wasn’t because she didn’t want his help or didn’t need it, it was because she wanted to accomplish the efforts of SNCC individually. She didn’t want to be known as the activists behind MLK Jr., she wanted SNCC to be recognized just as equally. Her refusal to give into fear was a result of her determination. She was able to recognize that the benefits of her actions outweighed the fear.
First hand experience of the fear she encountered:
Criticism of Diane Nash:
Diane Nash accomplished much in her time as a leader of the student activists. One criticism I would give however, is her refusal of MLK’s help. I understand she wanted to be independent and SNCC had a significant meaning to her personally, but I think she failed to recognize the power she would have had access to had she involved MLK Jr. Perhaps her movement’s impact with the federal government would have come sooner and with more immediate force if she had accepted the help of MLK Jr. Yes, it is likely that SNCC would have lost some of the recognition, but it is a price one must be willing to pay. Overall, Nash achieved what she desired, but if she had accepted the help of individuals who were already more established her impact may have been faster and bigger giving her more power behind her name and more time to use the power for her fight.
Personal Impact:
I chose to research and learn more about Diane Nash, because I can discuss Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks or even John F. Kennedy, based on the knowledge I have acquired on them over the course of my educated life. I, however, had not been introduced to Diane Nash and her accomplishments, until my class on the History of Leadership. I found her story both enlightening and interesting, and thus wished to know more. I can relate to her hardships in life based on the stories my mother have told me about her childhood growing up. Although it is not as prominent as the White/Black racial divide, racism towards Asian individuals occurs more often than people realize. Diane Nash defied not one, but two blocks in her leadership crusade, she was African American and a woman. Her story is inspirational to women today, in a time when racial diversity is booming, but racism still occurs from time to time. Diane Nash gives people the belief that they can make history.
About the Author:
The author, Samantha Hodges, was born in Newport Beach, California, but grew up in San Diego County, CA. She is 18 years old and currently attending Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. Although, she is undeclared she is considering a degree in Business, before she goes on to Law School. She attended San Dieguito Academy High School in Encinitas, California where she played four years of varsity tennis. Between class and D1 athletics at Wagner College Sam enjoys reading, watching movies with friends, and going out to explore Manhattan.
Bibliography
Anderson, Theresa. “Interview with Diane Nash. (Interview).” Iris: A Journal About Women (2003): 22. Academic OneFile, EBSCOhost(accessed November 3, 2014).
Barnett, Bernice McNair. “Invisible Southern Black Women Leaders In The Civil Rights Movement: The Triple Constraints of Gender, Race, and Class.” Gender & Society 7, no. 2 (June 1993): 162-182. SocINDEX, EBSCOhost (accessed November 3, 2014).
Robnett, Belinda. “African- American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1965: Gender, Leadership, and Micromobilization.” Chicago Journals. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2782115?seq=3 (accessed October 22, 2014).
Diane Bevel Nash. n.p.: Gale, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, EBSCOhost (accessed November 3, 2014).