ID: Greensboro Sit-ins
WHEN: February 1, 1960
WHO:
- Started by: Four African American students: Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, and Joseph McNeil, all students at North Carolina A&T, a historically Black college.
- Involved: Other African American students, civil rights activists, local communities, and eventually, the management of Woolworth’s stores.
- Inspired by: The broader Civil Rights Movement and the nonviolent direct action tactics promoted by groups like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).
WHAT:
A series of nonviolent protests that began when four African American students sat down at a “whites-only” lunch counter at a Woolworth’s store in Greensboro, North Carolina, and requested service. They were refused service but remained seated. The next day, more students joined them, and the sit-ins continued and spread to other cities across the South.
IMPACT: Why Significant?:
- Sparked a movement: The Greensboro sit-ins ignited a wave of similar protests and sit-ins across the South, challenging segregation in public accommodations.
- Increased national awareness: The sit-ins brought the issue of racial segregation to national attention and helped galvanize support for the Civil Rights Movement.
- Economic pressure: The sit-ins led to economic pressure on businesses that practiced segregation, as customers (both Black and white) boycotted segregated establishments.
- Desegregation of lunch counters: Many Woolworth’s stores and other businesses in the South began to desegregate their lunch counters due to the sit-ins and the resulting economic pressure.
- Empowerment of students: The sit-ins demonstrated the power of student activism and grassroots organizing in the fight for civil rights.
- Momentum for the Civil Rights Act: The Greensboro sit-ins helped build momentum for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.