Cambridge movement (civil rights)

The Cambridge Movement was a civil rights protest in Dorchester County, Maryland, led by Gloria Richardson and the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee. Protests continued from late 1961 to the summer of 1964. The movement led to the desegregation of all schools, recreational areas, and hospitals in Maryland and the longest period of martial law since 1877.

Background

Black residents of Cambridge had the right to vote, but were still discriminated against and lacked economic opportunities. There homes did not have plumbing and some even lived in "chicken shacks." And since the local segregated hospitals were white, black residents had to drive two hours to Baltimore for medical care. They had the highest rates of unemployment. The black unemployment rate was four times higher than that of whites. The only two local factories, both defense contractors, had agreed not to hire any black workers, as long as the whites agreed to not unionize. All venues of entertainment, churches, cafes, and schools were segregated. Black schools received half as much funding as whites.

The movement

Initial Protests

On Christmas Eve of 1961, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Field Secretaries Reggie Robinson and Bill Hansen arrived and began organizing student protests. In 1962, the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, (CNAC), was organized to run these protests. Gloria Richardson and Inez Grubb both became the co-chairs of the CNAC. It was the only affiliate of SNCC that was no student-led. The CNAC began picketing any business which refused to hire blacks. They conducted sit-ins at lunch-counters which would not serve blacks. White mobs often disrupted protests such as these. Protests on Race Street, which separated the black and white communities, often became violent. Cleveland Sellers, who was a SNCC Field Secretary, later said, "By the time we got to town, Cambridge’s blacks had stopped extolling the virtues of passive resistance. Guns were carried as a matter of course and it was understood that they would be used." Richardson defended such actions by blacks: "Self-defense may actually be a deterrent to further violence. Hitherto, the government has moved into conflict situations only when matters approach the level of insurrection." In the spring of 1963, Over a period of seven weeks, Richardson and 80 other protesters were arrested. Tensions rose steadily and by June, blacks were rioting in the street. Maryland Governor Tawes met with the protesters at a local school. He offered to accelerate school desegregation, build public housing, and establish a biracial commission if they only cease the protests. The CNAC rejected the deal, and in response, he declared martial law and sent the National Guard to Cambridge.

Treaty of Cambridge

Possible violence close to the capitol brought Cambridge to the attention of the Kennedy Administration. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy began holding discussions with the CNAC. They, and the local city government, reached an agreement which would prevent possible violence. It would also desegregate public facilities, create provisions for public housing, and establish a human rights committee. It was called the "Treaty of Cambridge." But the agreement soon fell through as the local government demanded that it be passed by a local referendum.

George Wallace

George C. Wallace

In May 1964, George Wallace, the segregationist Governor of Alabama, arrived in Cambridge to give a speech. He had been invited by the DBCA, the city's primary business association. Black protesters soon appeared to protest his appearance and a riot occurred.

End of Movement

Once the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by Congress, the movement lost all momentum. The federal government had mandated everything that the CNAC had been fighting for. The National Guard withdrew. Gloria Richardson resigned from the CNAC and moved to New York City.