Greensboro sit-ins

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Sit-ins (1960)

- What Happened: Black students sat at "whites-only" lunch counters and refused to leave until they were served.

- Where: Started in Greensboro, North Carolina, and spread across the South.

- Why: To protest segregation in public places.

- outcome: The sit-ins led to the desegregation of many lunch counters and inspired more nonviolent protests.

Freedom Rides (1961)

- What Happened: Black and white activists rode buses together through the South to challenge segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals.

- Who: Organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and later supported by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

- Challenges: Riders faced violence and arrests.

- Outcome: The rides led to the enforcement of Supreme Court rulings that banned segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.

Both the sit-ins and Freedom Rides were key events in the Civil Rights Movement, promoting racial equality and challenging segregation laws through peaceful protest.

Greensboro Sit-ins
Part of the Sit-in movement in the Civil Rights Movement
Date	February 1 – July 25, 1960 (5 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)
Location	Greensboro, North Carolina
Caused by	"Whites Only" lunch counters at F. W. Woolworth Company Racial segregation in public accommodations
Resulted in	Catalyst to sit-in movement that spread to more than 55 cities in 13 U.S. states within three months Formation of Student Executive Committee for Justice (SECJ) Greensboro businesses desegregate lunch counters Catalyst to the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Parties to the civil conflict
Students from: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Bennett College James B. Dudley High School Woman's College Organizations involved: Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Business lunch counters at: F. W. Woolworth Company Kress Walgreens Organizations involved: KKK
Lead figures
Students Joseph McNeil Franklin McCain Ezell Blair Jr. David Richmond Woolworth Clarence Harris KKK member George Dorsett

The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of peaceful protests that happened in Greensboro, North Carolina. They happened from February 1 to July 25, 1960. Many of them happened at the F. W. Woolworth Company store in the town. At Woolworth’s you could only sit on the stools if you were white.

There were four men influenced by non-violent protest. The four men were young black students at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. This started because these four men wanted to prove a point about segregation.^[1] The four men were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. They were inspired by the Freedom Riders. They planned their protest very carefully. They sat at the table. They wanted to be served, but did not get served. They just sat and did not leave. On the second day there were 20 people. The sit-ins made local news.

The students wrote the following letter to the president of Woolworth's:

Dear Mr. President: We the undersigned are students at the Negro college in the city of Greensboro. Time and time again we have gone into Woolworth stores in Greensboro. We have bought thousands of items at the hundreds of counters in your stores. Our money was accepted without rancor or discrimination, and with politeness towards us, when at a long counter just three feet away our money is not acceptable because of the colour of our skins....We are asking your company to take a firm stand to eliminate discrimination. We firmly believe that God will give you courage and guidance in solving the problem. Sincerely Yours, Student Executive Committee

The sit-in movement then spread to other Southern cities, including Winston-Salem, Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte, Richmond, Virginia, and Lexington, Kentucky.

By February 8, 500 people joined the protest. .

Because of the protest the F. W. Woolworth Company department store chain stopped its policy of racial segregation.^[2]

References

1. "Greensboro Sit-In". HISTORY. February 4, 2010. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
2. "Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In (Educational Materials: African American Odyssey)". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-28.