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Cambridge, Maryland, activists campaign for desegregation, USA, 1962-1963

Summary

In Cambridge, Maryland, African American activists and students led a campaign from 1962 to 1963 to end public segregation and create public housing [source: nv-database]. The campaign, organized by groups like the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee (CNAC) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), used marches, sit-ins, and a downtown boycott [source: nv-database]. Despite violent opposition and the declaration of martial law, the campaign achieved a de jure end to segregation through the Treaty of Cambridge in July 1963 [source: nv-database].

Tactics used

Tactics used

Background

Cambridge, Maryland, was racially divided in 1960, with African Americans facing quadruple the unemployment rate of whites and pervasive segregation in public and private spaces [source: nv-database]. The campaign aimed to end public segregation and create public housing, targeting local businesses and government institutions.

What happened

lead photo

Lead photo. — Warren K. Leffler (Public domain). Source: cambridge-maryland-activists-campaign-for-desegregation-usa.jpg

In January 1962, CIG and SNCC affiliates led a march in Cambridge protesting segregation; police arrested and townspeople beat demonstrators, leading to the formation of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee (CNAC) [source: nv-database]. A week later, a larger march included CORE members and black and white students from various colleges [source: nv-database]. State senator Frederick Malkus led opposition, with police allowing white crowds to beat demonstrators [source: nv-database]. Later in 1962, Governor Tawes passed an anti-discrimination bill, but an amendment allowed counties to ignore it [source: nv-database]. On March 29, 1963, fifty protesters marched against discriminatory policies at the Dorsett Theater and Rescue and Fire Company; police arrested seventeen, including Gloria Richardson [source: nv-database]. The next day, protesters held a sit-in at Collins Drugstore and demonstrations at multiple locations; CNAC called for a full-scale boycott, leading to eighty arrests within seven weeks [source: nv-database]. On June 13, 1963, five hundred protesters marched; the next night, violence erupted on both sides with fires, bricks, and gunfire [source: nv-database]. Governor Tawes offered to speed up desegregation and build public housing, but CNAC rejected the offer; Tawes declared martial law and sent troops on June 14 [source: nv-database]. CNAC met with Tawes and Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall to pressure school desegregation by fall 1963 [source: nv-database]. The National Guard left on July 8, but violence continued, including an assault by proprietor Robert Fehsenfeld at Dizzyland Restaurant [source: nv-database]. On July 10, 300 whites surrounded 250 black protesters; violence at Dizzyland on July 11 led to the National Guard’s return [source: nv-database]. On July 23, with Robert Kennedy presiding, the Treaty of Cambridge was signed, calling for immediate desegregation of schools and hospitals, public housing, hiring of black workers, and a human relations commission [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Civic Interest Group of Baltimore (CIG)
  • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
  • Reggie Robinson
  • Bill Hansen
  • Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee (CNAC)
  • Gloria Richardson
  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
  • Robert Kennedy
  • Frederick Malkus
  • Brice Kinnamon
  • Osvrey Pritchett
  • Rescue and Fire Company (RFC)
  • J. Millard Tawes

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The campaign achieved 5 out of 6 demands, including a de jure end to segregation in Maryland through the Treaty of Cambridge, though the campaign was not entirely nonviolent due to violence on both sides [source: nv-database].

Lessons

  • Coalition-building with diverse student groups and national organizations can strengthen local campaigns.
  • Economic boycotts can effectively pressure local businesses and government to negotiate.
  • Sustained nonviolent direct action, even in the face of violent repression, can force political concessions.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

Learn more

Last verified: 2026-07-09