THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SIT-INS
By Juliet
Many protests during the Civil Rights Movement caused a national effect, but the Sit-In movement showed one of the most explosive reactions from the nation, which led to the almost immediate integration of restaurants all over the south. On February 1st, 1960, four African American men sat down at a whites-only counter in Greensboro, NC. After being asked to leave, they stayed until the store closed. The four were influenced by the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi and the early freedom rides, created by the Congress of Racial Equality, or CORE in 1947.
The next day, 20 more African American students joined the Sit-Ins. TV cameramen and reporters revealed to the entire nation how the protesters were attacked and harassed by white customers. It showed white people spitting, saying abusive things, throwing eggs, food, and drinks at the protesters, and even setting a person’s coat on fire (“Greensboro Sit-In,” 2016). More and more people joined, and by the fourth day, more than 300 people were participating, including white activists who were subject to the same violence. For example, David Hartsough said “Here was this guy with this most terrible look of hatred I'd ever seen, and in his hand was a switchblade which by that time was a half-inch from my heart (“Nonviolent Sit-In, Arlington Virginia, 1960” 2013).
This sparked the Sit-In movement that lasted until July 25th, 1960. All over the southern United States, African American people refused to leave restaurants and bars after they were denied service. This occurred notably in Nashville, TN, Atlanta, GA, and Richmond, VA. They hoped that the owners would integrate the lunch counters after days of protests in their restaurants. Even though there were many arrests, the effects of the movement were great and swift. By the end of February, the Greensboro S.H. Kress Store had an interracial lunch counter.
Today, at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, GA, there is a simulation that shows how the students were harassed. When I went there, it simulated glass bottles shattering and chairs being kicked. The part that affected me most was how most people today couldn’t make it all the way through a mere simulation of the abuse, when 50 years ago, the protesters didn't have a choice to back down. They had to endure it all—not for a minute, but for hours and hours. The sit-in movement was one of the ost effective protests of the Civil Rights movement because even if the protesters were arrested and beaten up, the whole country participated in making bars, lunch counters, and restaurants integrated.
The next day, 20 more African American students joined the Sit-Ins. TV cameramen and reporters revealed to the entire nation how the protesters were attacked and harassed by white customers. It showed white people spitting, saying abusive things, throwing eggs, food, and drinks at the protesters, and even setting a person’s coat on fire (“Greensboro Sit-In,” 2016). More and more people joined, and by the fourth day, more than 300 people were participating, including white activists who were subject to the same violence. For example, David Hartsough said “Here was this guy with this most terrible look of hatred I'd ever seen, and in his hand was a switchblade which by that time was a half-inch from my heart (“Nonviolent Sit-In, Arlington Virginia, 1960” 2013).
This sparked the Sit-In movement that lasted until July 25th, 1960. All over the southern United States, African American people refused to leave restaurants and bars after they were denied service. This occurred notably in Nashville, TN, Atlanta, GA, and Richmond, VA. They hoped that the owners would integrate the lunch counters after days of protests in their restaurants. Even though there were many arrests, the effects of the movement were great and swift. By the end of February, the Greensboro S.H. Kress Store had an interracial lunch counter.
Today, at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, GA, there is a simulation that shows how the students were harassed. When I went there, it simulated glass bottles shattering and chairs being kicked. The part that affected me most was how most people today couldn’t make it all the way through a mere simulation of the abuse, when 50 years ago, the protesters didn't have a choice to back down. They had to endure it all—not for a minute, but for hours and hours. The sit-in movement was one of the ost effective protests of the Civil Rights movement because even if the protesters were arrested and beaten up, the whole country participated in making bars, lunch counters, and restaurants integrated.