The Congress of Racial Equality and Its Strategy

The idea for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was originated by James Farmer in a 1941 memo randum calling for personal nonviolent direct action to end discrimination, and by a group of University of Chicago students who staged the first successful United States sit-in in 1942. Early chapters of CORE were college-centered be cause of the demands on time involved in its training projects and in the sit-ins and picket-lines themselves. CORE's early demonstrations took place mainly in the North and were mostly aimed at increasing public accomodations for the Negro. In the 1950's CORE expanded rapidly, forming chapters through out the South and widening its membership to include rep resentatives of all social classes. It also widened its goals by working for improvement in Negro employment and housing conditions. By 1964, CORE had an income of $900,000 and a professional staff of 137, as well as a solid nucleus of CORE chapters throughout the country. The dramatic sit-ins and Freedom Rides organized by CORE have had visible results in civil rights legislation and in increased public accomodation for Negroes. Its future efforts will be concentrated on training its burgeoning numbers of new members and on working for the improvement of Negro living conditions, voter registration, and employment. To accomplish its new goals, however, it will continue to employ its characteristic nonviolent direct action methods—Ed

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• A Jazz Salute to Freedom

  Open Access•Nicholas Gaffney•Enterprise & Society•2026

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