Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins. Sixty years ago, four African American college students quietly sat down at the whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina and changed the arc of history in the struggle for civil rights in this country.
On Feb 1, 1960, four African American college students from the North Carolina A&T State University quietly sat down at the whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina and ordered coffee. It was a planned move by the four students, designed to attract media attention to the issue of segregation. Denied service, as was the custom in those dark days, the four continued to peacefully occupy their seats and refused to leave until the store closed that night.
The peaceful protest inspired others to join in for daily protests. By Feb 5, 300 students were present at the store. On Saturday, February 6, over 1,400 North Carolina A&T students met in the Harrison Auditorium on campus. They voted to continue the protests and went to the Woolworth store, filling up the store.
During the sit-ins, white customers heckled the black students. North Carolina's official chaplain of the Ku Klux Klan, George Dorsett, as well as other members of the Klan, were present.
The sit-ins soon spread to nearby towns and other Southern cities. Sales at the boycotted stores dropped by a third, leading Woolworth to abandon segregation policies; the dining area in most stores were desegregated after July 25, 1960.
The Greensboro sit-in was not the first such event, but it catalyzed a much larger nonviolent sit-in movement across the country, which played a definitive role in the fight for civil rights. In its wake, segregation of public places became illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Woolworth Department Store in Greensboro was subsequently converted into the International Civil Rights Center and Museum (Woolworth went out of business in 1997). The street south of the building is named February One Place.
Part of the lunch counter is now housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
The Google Doodle today ...
... was created by Compton-based guest artist Karen Collins of the African American Miniature Museum.
Some Documentaries and Videos
Tributes
Here are a few tributes and some additional info on this historical event —
The Greensboro Four pictured below (left to right) — David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil.
Newspaper clip from the fateful day -
Some insights -
Yesterday at the Greensboro site -
More reporting by Red T Raccoon from Greensboro -
From Greensboro -
February is Black history month.
Epilogue
In this day and age of million-person marches and online petitions and protests, it is worth remembering the sacrifices made and the courage displayed by these heroes, who had to fight against overwhelming odds to stand up for their rights, so we may enjoys ours. The struggle is not over, but let’s take a moment to thank these heroes (and many others in the Civil Rights movement) and draw inspiration for the work that lies ahead. Let’s redouble our efforts this year to get rid of the virus that infects the White House and that crawls in the halls of Congress.
I am sure there are many here who understand these events and their place in history at a much deeper level than I do. Please share your memories and insights about this part of history and the lessons we should draw from them — for today and for tomorrow.