Sixty years ago on February 2,1960, 4 African American students from North Carolina A&T University walked into a Woolworth's Lunch Counter in Greensboro,North Carolina to protest the still rampant "Jim Crow" laws that plagued most of the Southern US. Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond were all freshmen at NC A&T University in Greensboro.On February 1st, They had went into the Woolworth's to buy supplies in a desegregated part of the store without any problems. They however were refused service at the lunch counter when they wanted a cup of coffee.
The Store Manager told them to leave, however they sat there till closing time that night. The next day on Feb 2nd, 1960 they recruited 20 fellow NC A&T Students to sit in at the Woolworth's with them from 11 am to 3 pm that day. February 4th saw over 300 students now including students from UNC Greensboro Women's College Bennett College for Women and Dudley High School had joined in to the sit in protests. They were also sitting in at the Kress' 5 and 10 lunch counter and the Walgreen's lunch counter.
February 5th saw the highest tensions as 50 White men sat at the Woolworth counter to oppose the protesters. Now White college students were also joining in on the sit ins to promote integration. Police removed 2 whites from the store for swearing and arrested 3 white people.
February 6th saw the packing of over 1000 protesters inside the Woolworth store. However, a bomb threat was called in and the Woolworth store as well as the Kress Store was closed that day.
Later on after the week more cities joined in the Sit in movement. Raleigh, Winston Salem, Charlotte, Richmond, Nashville, and Lexington were all now having their own Sit in movements at lunch counters all across the Southeast.
Sales at the lunch counters dropped by 1/3rd and caused Woolworth to lose $200,000 or $1.9 million in today's value in sales. On July 25,1960 Clarence Harris, the Woolworth store manager asked 4 Black employees to change out of uniform and eat at the lunch counter. They did so and were served. Thus finally integrating the lunch counter in Woolworth and soon all across Greensboro. However some stores including the Nashville store were segregated till 1965.
This movement was clearly one of the key turning points of the Civil Rights movement. Even after segregation was declared illegal in 1954 in the Brown vs Board of Education decision, sadly most Southern States and Governors did not recognize nor uphold the decision. These four men as well as thousands of college students are true unsung heroes in the story of equality for all.
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