An act of defiance that changed history

[endless october]

An act of defiance that changed history
Monday, February 1, 2010
(Updated 9:45 am)
By Donald W. Patterson
Staff Writer



Photo Caption: David Richmond (left to right), Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair and Joseph McNeil leave the Woolworth store on Feb. 1, 1960.
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GREENSBORO - Fifty years ago, African Americans in Greensboro and across the South lived in a separate, but not necessarily equal, society.

On Feb. 1, 1960, that started to change. That day, the wall of segregation that divided blacks and whites began to crumble.

It happened on South Elm Street in Greensboro.

About 4:30 p.m., four freshmen from what is now N.C. A&T sat down at the whites-only lunch counter at the F.W. Woolworth store and asked for service.

When the waitress refused, the students remained seated.

Their act of defiance changed history, set off the sit-in movement that swept the South and paved the way for a series of changes that transformed American society.

“The moments they sat in those chairs have had a lasting impact on our nation,” President Barack Obama said in an e-mail to the News & Record. “The lessons taught at that five-and-dime challenged us to consider who we are as a nation and what kind of future we want to build for our children.”

Some have compared the sit-ins to the Boston Tea Party in their impact, calling the protests the most important event in the civil rights movement and Greensboro’s most significant moment.

“The sit-ins in this city changed the course of history — not just in civil rights — but the country in general,” said Bamidele Demerson, curator and director of programs at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, which will open today in the old Woolworth building. “Those four young men helped change the country forever.

more at link : http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/01/31/article/an_act_of_defiance_that_changed_history

[niyad]

1. k and r for an amazing bit of history that shouldn't have needed to happen.

[tavalon]

2. Yeah, we all hear about Rosa Parks and she was great

but there were so many who did non-violent things to force those awful rules out into the light and the rules just couldn't survive the scrutiny of the midday sun. Kudos to these men and to many, many others who did similar things.

[leftstreet]

3. K&R

[MindandSoul]

4. Thank you for reminding us of the impact of even a few good, courageous men!