Montana Tech history professor to join national civil rights panel in Chicago

Professor of History Dr. Chris Danielson will be a featured panelist at the upcoming event, "Telling the SNCC Story: South, North & Beyond." Scheduled for January 8, 2026, the program is co-sponsored by the American Historical Association (AHA) as part of its 2026 Annual Meeting and is presented in partnership with the Chicago Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) History Project and the Chicago Public Library.

The event, hosted at the Woodson Regional Library in Chicago, aims to amplify Black history and liberation movements by exploring the enduring legacy of the SNCC. Danielson will join a moderated conversation alongside figures of the Civil Rights Movement, including former Freedom Rider and SNCC Field Secretary MacArthur Cotton and former SNCC National Office Manager Freddie Greene Biddle.

Danielson brings specialized expertise to the panel as the author of “Brother Insider, Brother Outsider,” a biography detailing the life of Lawrence Guyot. Guyot was a pivotal architect of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), and Danielson’s research provides critical context into the strategic leadership that shaped the movement.

“In covering the political and activist life of Lawrence Guyot Jr., this book makes a significant contribution to the intellectual history of the civil rights movement in Mississippi and beyond,” Professor of History at the University of North Texas Dr. J. Todd Moye said.

“Chris Danielson offers readers insight into the origins, development, and disintegration of one of the boldest political experiments in the civil rights movement through the lens of one of its most important and least well-known leaders,” Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Loyola University New Orleans Dr. Patricia Boyett said.

The discussion will be facilitated by Mia Henry, co-founder of the Chicago Freedom School and Freedom Lifted. Attendees will also have the opportunity to view a curated selection of archival materials from the Chicago SNCC History Project, highlighting the specific contributions of the Chicago Area Friends of SNCC (1960-1965).

The program begins at 4:30 PM at the Woodson Regional Library, located at 9525 S. Halsted Street, Chicago.