Greensboro Four
Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr. and David Richmond known as ¨The Greensboro Four¨ entered the F.W. Woolworth store in Greensboro, N.C., around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 1960 and purchased items at several counters. They sat down at the store's "Whites Only" lunch counter and ordered coffee, and were denied service, ignored and then the employees all asked them to leave. They remained seated at the counter until the store closed at 5 p.m. The four friends immediately returned to campus and recruited others for the cause. On Tuesday February 2, 1960, there were a group of 25 men including the ¨Greensboro Four¨ as well as four women. They again all entered the F.W. Woolworth store and sat in the ¨Whites Only¨ section from 11 a.m to 3 p.m with books to study to keep them busy. The group was abused and threatened by many white patrons and the employees still refused to serve them. As the days went on more than 1,800 African American students participated in the protest. From February 8th to 14th, students in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Durham, N.C., held sit-ins to demonstrate their loyalty and similarities with the Greensboro students. Sit-in protests quickly followed in North Carolina cities such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville and High Point. The movement expanded and grew bigger and spread to Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and even F.W. Woolworth stores in New York City.
By August 1961, more than 70,000 people had participated in sit-ins, which resulted in more than 3,000 arrests. Sit-ins at "Whites Only" lunch counters inspired subsequent kneel-ins at segregated churches, sleep-ins at segregated motel lobbies, swim-ins at segregated pools, wade-ins at segregated beaches, read-ins at segregated libraries, play-ins at segregated parks and watch-ins at segregated movies. As time went by, many people were rethinking the way segregation was apart of their time and how it affected the African Americans. Whites started to take the African Americans side such as Genie Seaman, Marilyn Lott and Ann Dearsley. Because of ¨The Greensboro Four¨ many people rethinked segregation which has changed the way we live today.
By August 1961, more than 70,000 people had participated in sit-ins, which resulted in more than 3,000 arrests. Sit-ins at "Whites Only" lunch counters inspired subsequent kneel-ins at segregated churches, sleep-ins at segregated motel lobbies, swim-ins at segregated pools, wade-ins at segregated beaches, read-ins at segregated libraries, play-ins at segregated parks and watch-ins at segregated movies. As time went by, many people were rethinking the way segregation was apart of their time and how it affected the African Americans. Whites started to take the African Americans side such as Genie Seaman, Marilyn Lott and Ann Dearsley. Because of ¨The Greensboro Four¨ many people rethinked segregation which has changed the way we live today.