Topic > The Greensboro Sit-Ins: Series of Protests in Greensboro

The Greensboro Sit-Ins were a series of protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1960. These protests were non-violent but the people they were protesting against they were violent with the non-violent demonstrators. These protests led to the removal of Woolworth's racial segregation policy in the Southern United States. The Greensboro sit-ins were not the first sit-ins of the civil rights movement, this sit-in was the best known. The major sit-in movement during the civil rights movement occurred at the Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is now where the International Civil Rights Center and Museum is located. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Greensboro sit-ins lasted 5 months, 3 weeks and 3 days, from February 1 to July 25, 1960. All of these protests led to the end of Woolworths' policy of racial segregation in all of their stores. The first major sit-ins of the civil rights movement were the Greensboro sit-ins. Four young black men got tired of racial segregation in the Woolworths store and organized the first sit-in in Greensboro. These young men were called the “Greensboro Four.” These four were students at North Carolina and the Agricultural and Technical College. Ezell Blair Jr. (known as Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, David Richmond and Joseph McNeil were the four young black men who organized the first protest. These students were influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and his teachings and strategies of nonviolent protest. The protest was planned by Richmond, McCain, Blair, McNeil. A local white businessman helped put their plan into action. It was a simple plan. His name was Ralph Jones. First they would contact a reporter from John's shop. They went to the Woolworth store where they sat at the counters and waited to be asked to be served. When no one served them, they refused to leave. This process would be repeated for as long as it took to desegregate the lunch counter in the Woolworths store. They wanted this protest to draw attention to the issue and to put pressure on the Woolworths store to desegregate. The four young men sat at lunch counters in the Woolworth store for the first protest on February 1, 1960. The store's policy was to serve only whites and staff, which had black employees. The staff still refused to serve the four black men. Clarence Harris, the store manager, asked them to leave, but they refused and stayed until the store closed later that night. The next day, more than twenty black students stalk the sit-ins, including female students at Bennett College, also in Greensboro. These black students were harassed by white customers. As this continued, lunch counter staff still refused to serve black students. During this chaos, a television cameraman and reporters covered these protests on February 2, 1960. The local community found out, eventually the nation, and then the world found out about these protests. The next day, more than sixty people showed up to help this protest. On the fourth day there was a huge increase in people. The protest now included the Greensboro Kress store. Three hundred or more people were protesting now. As these protests spread, more protests like this one began to occur. It moved first across the state, then it moved across the nation. Other protests occurred in Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte. At the beginning of March, this.