Conclusion
So the question remains; was it actually the money? The source of funding was cinched because foundations were intimidated by the federal government to limit their involvement with civil rights organizations. The Voter education project went straight to crowdfunding and the initial efforts were extremely successful.
In this photo a man addresses crowd at Southwide Conference of Black Elected Officials. Each state has a large sign that denotes their state of origin and/or where they are an elected official.
John Lewis takes the legislative pressure in stride. Beyond the fundraising campaign, he begins to directly give aid to and foster connections with Black Elected Officials, supporting events like the Southwide conference of Black Mayors.
The year the Voter Education Project separated from the SRC it lost the manpower associated with being a part of a larger institution. Still, the VEP inc. managed ro register a record high of 3,248,000 Black people after the act went into effect. However, previously most of the organization's funding came from one place. John Lewis had to shift a lot of personnel towards fundraising. This took a hit on the actual work the VEP was able to do, which in turn affected support. Less support meant less money brought in during crowdfunding. Large dinners and fancy galas were hosted to try to reinvigorate interest but those events cost the VEP money it didn’t have. Eventually the cycle wore on the organization until it stopped active operations sporadically as the debts increased. The Voter Education Project Inc. officially closed its doors in 1992.
Is targeting the source of funding cull the movement, which was so bright and enduring, and cause it to slowly fizzle away? Or was it the litany of political violence? Perhaps seeing long standing pillars of the movement like Dr. King and Malcom X assassinated affected morale.
Could it be the youngest of freedom fighters finally reaching adulthood? It is well documented how college and highschool students were the most effective group mobilized, and when that generation grew up their activism had to shift to allow for families and responsibilities of adulthood.
All of these factors are apart from the slow fall, the height of the momentum slowing even though the work never did. In 1977 John Lewis left the Voter Education Project to run for office. When he left the VEP was already beginning to fluster in its fight. However, fortunately for the longevity of VEP, he was able to slow the fall.
Resources
This is a list of resources that inspired and informed this exhibit, as well as resources to further explore the digital archives AUC Robert Woodruff. These objects and articles should encourage further learning exploration.