The “N” in SNCC stood for “nonviolent” when the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was founded in April 1960 by sit-in veterans who wanted to step up the pace of nonviolent direct action for equal rights.
As the 1960s wore on, SNCC leaders became frustrated with white repression of the civil rights movement and began to advocate the use of force in self-defense.
In 1969, SNCC’s name was changed to the Student National Coordinating Committee.