GREENSBORO, N.C. — This month marks the 62nd anniversary of one of the most powerful moments in history.  

The month of February marks the anniversary of when four Black men bravely sparked a Civil Rights movement by refusing to give up seats a whites-only lunch counter 

Charles Bess was working as a busboy at the restaurant during the sit-in 

He shared his story about what it was like to be there decades ago 

Four African American men from North Carolina A&T refused to give up their seats at an all-white lunch counter at the Woolworth in downtown Greensboro.

That sparked the sit-in movement during the Civil Rights era.

The story you don’t often hear about is the employee behind the lunch counter, who witnessed that moment.

The picture of Charles Bess is from day two of the staged sit-in. Out of the four men sitting at the lunch counter, two are from the original Greensboro A&T four.

Bess says the men at the segregated lunch counter kept asking for a cup of coffee over and over.

It was that moment that sparked a change across the country.

Bess visits the International Civil Rights Center in downtown Greensboro at least once a month.

“Right here is one of the original bus trays that I carried dishes in. I’d call up here, and I’d say, 'hey, we need dishes,'” said Bess, describing the photo. “The Greensboro Four sit right in this section here, about right in here. When they sit, that’s when one of the waiters walked up and said we don’t serve colored folks here, but they kept on sitting.”

The photo of Bess standing behind the lunch counter is often seen around the world. 

Bess worked as a bus boy at Woolworth after moving to Greensboro.

What Bess remembers most is how four men refusing to give up their seats at a lunch counter made it easier for Bess to be served shortly after.

“One day, Ms. Hope came to me and she said 'Charles, we’re going to start serving the colored here,'” Bess said. “If we serve, we want our employees to be the first ones to be served.”

Bess says his proudest moment is that even at 84 years old, he can still be served at a lunch counter because of four brave men who broke racial barriers.

Bess says he’s also proud to see the younger generation stepping up in the fight for equality, especially during the Black Lives Matter movement.