Jane Stembridge

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Overview

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Jane Shelton Stembridge born Cedartown, GA April 7, 1936. Civil rights activist; poet and flutist. First paid worker of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Atlanta, 1960; helped publish its first newsletter Student Voice and first conference, Oct. 1960. Jailed in Mississippi voter registration drive.

Quotations

“We talked about the beloved community;  we can create it. . . black & white people can get together. . . I think I felt that we could change America, and that was a huge idea.” (Iconoclast)

and after he had listened
carefully
he said: if peoples
      got together
      it wouldn't be
      so hard.
He said
that maybe they could
change the world
so children wouldn't starve.

(“About Jesus”; 1958 photo Meredith Oak Leaves)