Diane Nash

Who is Diane Nash?

Diane Judith Nash was a leader and strategist of the student wing of the 1960s Movement. A historian described her as "…bright, focused, utterly fearless, with an unerring instinct for the correct tactical move at each increment of the crisis; as a leader, her instincts had been flawless, and she was the kind of person who pushed those around her to be at their best, or be gone from the movement."

Nash's campaigns were among the most successful of the era. Her efforts included the first successful civil rights campaign to integratelunch counters; the Freedom riders, who de-segregated interstate travel; founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; and the Selma Voting Rights Movement campaign, which resulted in African Americans getting the vote and political power throughout the South.

Family members were surprised when she joined the Civil Rights Movement. Her grandmother was quoted saying, “Diane, you’ve gotten in with the wrong bunch.” She also at this point did not know that Diane was the chairman of organizing the non-violent protests at her university. Her family was conscious of citizenship and politics of America but they were not familiar with the idea of civil rights. Diane Nash spoke,in regards of how it took her family time to come around about the idea of her being a key player in the Civil Rights Movement. Once she got their support, her mother began to use fund raising abilities to raise money for the students to use during the Freedom Ride. Nash states, “My mother ended up going to fundraisers in Chicago that were raising money to send to the students in the South and actually, over years, she went to an elevated train bus station one day at 6:00 a.m. to hand out leaflets protesting the war. ” Her mother’s newly found attitude towards social movement showed her Nash’s sense of empowerment. Without her daughter’s determination and introduction of participation in social movements, Mrs. Nash would not likely have been inclined to do so either. There is an important segment during a talk show with Smiley in which Nash confirms the social relationship. “Tavis: So she was encouraged and empowered by her own daughter. Nash: Yes. Tavis: Yeah, that’s powerful. Nash: That’s true.”