On this date in 1962, ,more than 160 activists jailed after demonstration in Albany. By August 1962, the number of arrests had nearly reached 1,000, as authorities, particularly Police Chief Laurie Pritchett, used mass arrests as a strategy to suppress the movement while avoiding violent crackdowns that could attract national outrage. This was part of the Albany Movement, a civil rights campaign in Albany, Georgia, that sought to end segregation and discrimination. The movement, which began in late 1961, was led by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and later supported by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Despite the mass arrests, the Albany Movement laid the groundwork for future civil rights campaigns by emphasizing grassroots organization and nonviolent resistance. While it did not achieve immediate desegregation in Albany, the lessons learned influenced later successful efforts, such as the Birmingham Campaign in 1963.