GREENSBORO FOUR:
The Greensboro Four started a trend in one diner that spread across the nation in a matter of weeks. The four young men (Joseph McNeil, Franklin Mccain, Ezell Blair Jr. and David Richmond) became friends and wanted to come up with a plan to go against the law of segregation. On February 1st, 1960 the men sat at the Woolworth Store counter for white people only, and didn't receive service. They stayed until the diner closed at 5:00 that evening. The next day the number increased to 21 people, and images show that white people were greatly harassing them. As the "sit-ins" became more popular, the number of students kept rising, and a few days after the first there were 60 students involved. Three white women joined the protests, and by the end of February these sit-ins had moved across eight states. The Greensboro greatly contributed the an integrated society by going against the law and standing up for what they believed in.
The Greensboro Four started a trend in one diner that spread across the nation in a matter of weeks. The four young men (Joseph McNeil, Franklin Mccain, Ezell Blair Jr. and David Richmond) became friends and wanted to come up with a plan to go against the law of segregation. On February 1st, 1960 the men sat at the Woolworth Store counter for white people only, and didn't receive service. They stayed until the diner closed at 5:00 that evening. The next day the number increased to 21 people, and images show that white people were greatly harassing them. As the "sit-ins" became more popular, the number of students kept rising, and a few days after the first there were 60 students involved. Three white women joined the protests, and by the end of February these sit-ins had moved across eight states. The Greensboro greatly contributed the an integrated society by going against the law and standing up for what they believed in.
Protests:
The Greensboro sit-in's effect rippled into other cities and even states. One of the first cities to follow Greensboro was Charlotte. Black students sat at a lunch counter to earn the right to sit there during their short coffee break. This action spread to 15 other cities in Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Another famous city for their actions against segregation is Durham. 20 men and women, white and black, sat at the Woolsworth, Kress, and Walgreens all-white counters in downtown Durham. Some stores and restaurants took extreme measures to keep their counters black-free. In Winston- Salem, O'Hanlon's Drug Store closed after a group of blacks tried to gain service, but were never served. The Greensboro Four spread the idea of sit-ins to many other cities in North Carolina, which helped gain freedom for blacks.