Charles Sherrod was a civil rights leader who co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
- Died: October 11, 2022 (Who else died on October 11?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Albany, Georgia of lung cancer at the age of 85.
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Fighting for civil rights
Sherrod became involved with the civil rights movement when he was still a teenager, participating in sit-ins in which he and others attempted to desegregate churches, restaurants, and more. While still in college, he became involved with SNCC in its earliest days as it grew out of the sit-in movement. He dropped out to engage full time with the civil rights movement, becoming a key SNCC leader in Georgia. With Albany as his home base, Sherrod worked to register voters and fought to end segregation. In 1963, Albany repealed its segregation laws. When Selma, Alabama became a focus of the movement, Sherrod worked there alongside civil rights legends Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) and John Lewis (1940–2020). Sherrod left SNCC later in the 1960s, as organizers planned to exclude white allies from joining; he felt it was important to work together regardless of race. In later years, Sherrod and his wife founded farm cooperatives, and he served on the Albany City Council as well as teaching at Albany State University.
Sherrod on his inspiration to join the civil rights movement
“I had been reading in the Afro American Richmond Times news articles about non-violence and about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and I had learned about his work. So, I knew something about non-violence and the power of love. I had been taught in High School and in Sunday School about the love of God so I was ready to act non-violently.” —from an interview with Kyle Mohr
Tributes to Charles Sherrod
Full obituary: The New York Times
