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The First Sit-in February 1, 1960
Four friends, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (later known as Jibreel Khazan), Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond sat down at a lunch counter in Greensboro. The four people were African American, and they sat where African Americans weren’t allowed to sit. They did this to take a stand against segregation. -
The Next Day: Sit-in at Woolworth's
The next day they went to Woolworth’s. When they sat down at the lunch counter, a waitress told them that blacks weren’t served there. They placed their orders anyway. When they stayed in their seats, the manager called the Greensboro police chief, who said that he could do nothing as long as they remained quiet. The store closed early, and the four students left peacefully. They were happy that they hadn’t been arrested or bullied. -
More than Four at Woolworth's Today
The next afternoon more than twenty African American students showed up at Woolworth’s. Some white bystanders harassed them, but there was no violence. More students joined the demonstration each day. Soon black students from other colleges and some white students who supported the cause joined the sit-in. -
The Protests Spread February-July 1960
Students in other North Carolina cities started their own sit-ins. The peaceful protests soon spread to other states in the South. African Americans began picketing Woolworth’s and other stores with segregated lunch counters in the North, too. -
Woolworth's finally serving Blacks
The Greensboro Woolworth’s finally began serving blacks at its lunch counter on July 25, 1960, six months after the sit-in began. The first people served were the lunch counter employees themselves. In the first week, three hundred African Americans ate at that lunch counter. -
The Legacy: International Civil Rights Museum
On this day, the International Civil Rights Museum opened. This museum recognizes the Greensboro Four with an exhibit that emphasizes the significant movement they started that will never be forgotten.
