RALEIGH, N.C. — In honor of Black History Month, Spectrum News 1 is highlighting the history, impact and experiences of African Americans in North Carolina.
What You Need To Know
The Greensboro sit-in was a nonviolent civil rights protest that began at the lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Greensboro on Feb. 1, 1960
The event sparked lasting change in the civil rights movement
The former Woolworth’s location now houses the International Civil Rights Center and Museum
This week, we’re looking back on the historic Greensboro sit-ins with the help of Zachary Lemhouse, staff historian for the Culture and Heritage Museums of York County, South Carolina.
The Greensboro sit-in was a nonviolent civil rights protest that began Feb. 1, 1960 at a lunch counter in Woolworth's. It began with the Greensboro Four; Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. All four were students at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical College.
“They were denied service because of the color of their skin,” Lemhouse explained. “Please keep in mind that this protest came at a time when segregation was still legal. African Americans were forced to eat at different lunch counters, use separate waiting rooms and drink from different water fountains, just to name a few.”
The Greensboro Four refused to leave Woolworth’s and remained at the lunch counter in protest until the store closed.
Lemhouse said, “They returned the next day with more students from local colleges and by February 5, nearly 300 students had joined the protest. Heavy media coverage of the Greensboro sit-ins increased attention to the civil rights movement and sparked similar protests throughout the country.”
By the end of March, protests had spread to 55 cities in 13 states.
Many were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, but their actions made a lasting impact. Woolworth’s and other establishments eventually changed their segregationist policies.
“This peaceful protest inspired so many other brave African American men and women to follow suit,” Lemhouse said. “Most notably, from my neck of the woods, the Friendship Nine who staged a similar sit-in at McCrory’s lunch counter in Rock Hill. They even instituted a new policy called ‘Jail No Bail,’ where they refused to pay their bail and sat in jail as another form of protest.
The former Woolworth’s location in Greensboro now houses the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. Part of the original counter is also on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington D.C.
Lemhouse also helps to organize a series of Black History Month events at Historic Brattonsville. To learn more about them, click here.