Martha Prescod Norman Noonan was a civil rights activist who is known for her work within the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and co-editing a 2012 book ''Hands on the'' ''Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC''.

Early life and education

Noonan was born on February 25, 1945 in Providence, Rhode Island where she was raised as one of the only black students at the predominantly white institutions she attended. Her parents were active in the Progressive Party, and her father was once the state chairman of the party. She graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in December of 1964, and has a master's degree from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

where she studied history. Noonan completed coursework for a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.

Civil rights activism

Soon after arriving at Michigan, Noonan joined VOICE, a chapter of

Students for a Democratic Society Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s, and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships ...

, and she raised funds for Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) by selling copies of a documentary record made about the

Albany Movement The Albany Movement was a desegregation and voters' rights coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, in November 1961. This movement was founded by local black leaders and ministers, as well as members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commi ...

. When she heard presentations by Curtis Hayes and

Tom Hayden Thomas Emmet Hayden (December 11, 1939October 23, 2016) was an American social and political activist, author, and politician. Hayden was best known for his role as an anti-war, civil rights, and intellectual activist in the 1960s, authoring t ...

she was "almost giddy with the idea that someone my age could take action that might change the overall racial situation in the United States”. From 1962 to 1963, Martha organized a Friends of SNCC group in Ann Arbor, which was providing support for the student activists in the south. In 1963 at the age of 18, Noonan first went to the American south. She ended up in Albany, Georgia where she noted she "was scared the whole time I was there”. By 1965 Noonan deliberately was eating in newly integrated places, such as a Holiday Inn in Selma, Alabama, where she remained calm while keeping her right to eat in such institutions. Noonan crossed paths with other civil rights activists including

Prathia Hall Prathia Laura Ann Hall Wynn (January 1, 1940 – August 12, 2002) was an American leader and activist in the Civil Rights Movement, a womanist theologian, and ethicist. She was the key inspiration for Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" sp ...

and

Stokely Carmichael Kwame Ture (; born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael; June 29, 1941November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the Unite ...

Later life

Noonan married Silas Norman in 1967 and they had one son. She taught classes on African American history at the University of Michigan, the University of Toledo, and Wayne State University. In 2012, Noonan co-edited the book ''Hands on the'' ''Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC'' which was reviewed by ''

The Women's Review of Books Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficia ...

,'' ''

The Journal of African American History ''The Journal of African American History'', formerly ''The Journal of Negro History'' (1916–2001), is a quarterly academic journal covering African-American life and history. It was founded in 1916 by Carter G. Woodson. The journal is owned and ...

'', and the ''Journal of American Ethnic History.''

Selected publications

References

External links

*, posted September 11, 2014 by the Library of Congress
Book TV - Noonan sharing her upbringing on C-SPAN
October 5, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Noonan, Martha Prescod Norman 1945 births Living people American civil rights activists University of Michigan alumni Wayne State University alumni