Nash, Diane (1938–)

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Nash, Diane (1938–)

African-American civil-rights activist. Name variations: Diane Nash Bevel. Born Diane Judith Nash, 1938, in Chicago, IL; attended Howard University, then Fisk; m. James Bevel (SNCC leader, div.).

A leader in the non-violence movement, became the spokesperson for the Sit-In demonstrations at the lunch counters of Nashville (1960); became a full-time field worker for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); was a liaison between SNCC and Martin Luther King's SCLC; also tried to build a bridge to NAACP; 4 months pregnant, was sentenced to 2 years in Jackson, Mississippi, for teaching black children the tools of nonviolent direct action (May 1962); was released on appeal; a major organizer for the Birmingham campaign, also designed the plan used by SCLC for the successful campaign in Selma (1965).