The Student Voice, Vol. 5 no. 21 (page 3)

The Student Voice, the newspaper of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), began publication in June 1960. Its first issue contained reports of the initial meetings of SNCC, which was established by student activists at a conference in Raleigh, North Carolina from April 15-17, 1960. At a meeting held the next month in Atlanta, student representatives voted to publish the newspaper as a means of disseminating news of black student lunch counter sit-ins and other protest activity. Published in SNCC’s small headquarters in Atlanta, the newspaper sought to provide the student movement with a “system of flash news to alert the nation of emergencies and serious developments.” During its five years of existence, The Student Voice contained news of sit-ins, marches, and reports on the activities of SNCC field secretaries who helped launch mass mobilizations of Black communities, especially in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The paper was distributed to northern SNCC supporters who provided essential financial support for the organization. Throughout its history, SNCC struggled to obtain adequate funding for its ambitious activities. Lack of funds and limited staffing caused publication of The Student Voice to be irregular until 1962. The paper was produced by local printers in Atlanta until October 1963 when the Student Voice, Inc. became the printing arm of SNCC and printing equipment was purchased thanks to a $15,000 grant from the estate of an anonymous donor. The newspaper eventually became a weekly and at its peak more than 40,000 copies were mailed out to readers and supporters. After changing its name to The Voice, the publication ceased in December 1965.