CORE

C.O.R.E., or the Congress of Racial Equality, was founded in 1942. It comprises one-fourth of the ‘Big Four’, a coalition of civil rights groups in the United States. With the slogan “Truth! Logic! & Courage!”, C.O.R.E. sought to garner equality and basic human rights for all people, regardless of their distinctive features. One such method of advocating human rights was the sit-in. C.O.R.E. organizers and their supporters, who were usually of African descent, would take seats in “whites-only” dining establishments and remain there until they were either served or physically forced to leave. These efforts were most strongly supported by black students, as they were the group most anxious to see immediate change. The advent of the sit-in sparked C.O.R.E.’s policy of nonviolent civil disobedience. This method would be utilized frequently throughout the civil rights’ movement. It was and still is especially important in C.O.R.E.’s activities, as the group was created on “Ghandian” principles of peace and positive change. This penchant for peace was challenged when three C.O.R.E. activists were murdered during the summer of 1964. During this time period, thousands of civil rights supporters descended upon Southern states such as Mississippi in order to expound their doctrine and hopefully sway white-supremacists to their side. In retaliation, supremacist groups and local residents threw molotov cocktails and burned down black homes and churches in the region. Three civil rights workers by the names of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner began to investigate the arsons. They didn’t make it far, as they were arrested on traffic violations. They were last seen in the land of the living on June 21 upon being released. Their decomposed bodies were found nearby six days later. Instead of scaring away other activists, this event further served to excite civil rights supporters and accelerated the grassroots movement for change. [] [[image:http://popartmachine.com/artwork/LOC+1151206/0/[James-Farmer,-national-director-of-the-Congress-of-Racial-Equality...-painting-artwork-print.jpg]] [|http://popartmachine.com/artwork/LOC+1151206/0/[James-Farmer,-national-director-of-the-Congress-of-Racial-Equality...-painting-artwork-print.jpg]

Congress of Racial Equality - Making Equality a Reality C.O.R.E. Homepage