Sit-Ins
By Nicole H.
The very first sit in occurred on February 1, 1960. On this day, four black freshman at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical College walked into their local Woolworth store to purchase school supplies. Hungry, they approached the lunch counter and kindly asked to be served, doubting they would be because this lunch counter was segregated. This first "sit-in" was just the beginning. The next day, a larger group of black students returned and the story spread like wildfire to the other college campuses. Numerous organized sit-ins were planned, encouraging participants to always be courteous and respectful. Eventually, Northerner students, black and white, joined the movement by picketing segregated stores. The sentiment "in justice anywhere is everybody's concern" prevailed.
Many "sit-ins", legal actions, and court cases later, a prominent black lawyer, representing the protesters in court, had his home bombed and destroyed. This incident sparked thousands to participate in a silent march to City Hall, which in turn led to several Nashville lunch counters serving blacks. By August 1961, sit-ins continued until and even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964., declaring segregation at lunch counters unlawful. The demonstrators showed that desegregation could best be accomplished by informing the public and appealing to them in nonviolent methods.