Greensboro Sit-In

In the year 1960, four remarkable, black, young men gathered in Woolworths. Woolworths was a white only restaurant in Greensboro, North Carolina. They had a very strict white only policy, that these four decided to protest in a non-violent way. The boys are now know as the Greensboro Four, and changed many lives because of their confidence to do something about a problem and effected their community. The Greensboro Four are Ezell Blair, Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond. On the second day of the sit-ins, Clearance Henderson and William Smith joined the four others in protest.

By February 5th, only 5 days after the protest had started, over 300 students had joined. The media coverage of this event was wide spread which influenced other college towns all over the state. By the end of March 1960, 55 cities in 13 states had joined in on the trend of non-violence protest. Sit-ins became very popular in college towns. By the summer of 1960, many dining facilities and restaurants were becoming integrated all over the place.

Though many of the people that participated in this protest were arrested for disturbing the peace, they made a lasting impact on the way we live today. Personally I thank the Greensboro Four, for having the confidence to stand up for what they believe in. This event, being so close to home has a personal impact. They helped make it possible for me to attend schools that are diverse, and let me have some of the best friends I have today. Woolworths was only a small part of the Civil Rights Act, but made a large impact for people all over the place today.