Lunch Counter Sit-Ins 

Taylor Nolan

      In this presentation, I will discuss lunch counter sit-ins that occurred during the Civil Rights time period. The lunch counter sit-ins occurred due to Blacks not being able to eat in the same environment as Whites.   The beginning of the presentation will begin with the first lunch sit-in that occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina that sparked future lunch counter sit-ins in other states and led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The latter part will focus on other lunch counter sit-ins and the short and long term impact of sit-ins , the violence that the students who participated in them faced, and the aftermath of the sit-ins.

    Four students, by the names of Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil who attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, were disturbed by the killing of Emmitt Till, which was one of the main reasons that led them to participate in lunch counter sit-ins.On February 1,1960, the four young men who became known as the Greensboro Four, sat at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina [4]. The four young men sat at Woolworths, which was a placed that only served to White individuals, no other races. Unfortunately, the young men were refused service, which sparked sit-ins all over the nation. The four young men being rejected led to organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to be created in April of 1960 [4]. The SNCC being created was an advantage to future lunch sit-ins that took place nationwide because they served as a leading force [4].

    Another famous lunch counter sit-in that took place at another Woolworth counter was in Jackson, Mississippi on May 28,1963 [2]. The sit in consisted of three Black students, Pearlena Lewis, Memphis Norman, and Anne Moody who were then accompanied but one White student, from Tougaloo College by the name of Joan Trumpauer, professors, fellow students, other young activists, and the President of Tougaloo [2]. The lunch sit-in in Mississippi consisted of two hours of torture for the students and the individuals who accompanied them. Shortly after the Mississippi lunch counter sit-in, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was established [3].

The impacts of the lunch counter sit-ins nationwide had both a short and long term impact. The short term impact of lunch sit ins led to the integration of public places in the North as a result of sit-ins and protest in various public places that occurred in the North [5]. Another short term impact was the fact that during the summer of 1960, restaurants throughout the South slowly started to integrate their facilities . In July 1960, the first four Black individuals : Geneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Best, were served at the Woolworth’s in Greensboro, who were also employees. Some long term impacts of lunch sit-ins, primarily stemming from the Greensboro Four, was that by April of 1960 approximately 70,000 students were participating in lunch sit-ins in 78 different cities [5]. Also, has mentioned previously on this page, the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was established as a result of the Greensboro Four to help organize future committees nationwide  [5]. The most important long term impact of the countless lunch counter sit-ins and protest was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that was signed by Lydon B.Johnson which ended segregation in public facilities and prohibited discrimination in terms of employment when it came to race, color, sex, and religion [3].

Lunch counter sit-ins are significant in history because it sparked the beginning of the Civil Rights movement and allowed Black individuals to stand u against social injustice and inequality. Lunch sit-ins was the start of protest and marches that led to the start of Blacks being able to obtain the same jobs as their White counterparts that were just as qualified for. Also  being in the same environment as White individuals was a result of the lunch sit-ins although prejudice still persisted in some public facilities and things were often socially segregated for awhile after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. I believe this topic is still significant and important for individuals to learn especially Black people because often times we as young adults take things for granted and we fail to realize the circumstances that our ancestors went through so that we can be in the position we are in today.

 

 

 

 

CITATIONS

 

[1] Associated Press. “John Hunter Gray, Activist from Lunch Counter Protest Photo, Dies at 84.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 Jan. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/activist-lunch-counter-protest-photo-dies-84-n957591.

[2] B. Strain, Christopher. “Sit-Ins.” Mississippi Encyclopedia, Center for Study of Southern Culture, 3 Feb. 2018, mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/sit-ins/.

[3] “Civil Rights Act of 1964.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Jan. 2010, www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-act#section_1.

[4] “Greensboro Sit-In.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Feb. 2010, www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in#section_2.

[5] Shah, Aarushi H. “All of Africa Will Be Free Before We Can Get a Lousy Cup of Coffee: The Impact of the 1943 Lunch Counter Sit-Ins on the Civil Rights Movement.” History Teacher, vol. 46, no. 1, Nov. 2012, pp. 127–147. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=83384280&site=ehost-live&scope=site

[6] Woolworth’s Lunch Counter – Separate Is Not Equal, americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/6-legacy/freedom-struggle-2.html.