I think everyone knows by now that I am from North Carolina, specifically Greensboro. February 1 is always a special day for us from the "336." On this day in 1960, four freshmen from a local college, North Carolina A&T State University, made a bold and courageous decision to challenge Jim Crow laws by staging a sit-in at Woolworth's lunch counter.
As the NPR report states, "On that first day, February 1, the four men stayed at the lunch counter until closing. The next day, they came back with 15 other students. By the third day, 300 joined in; later, 1,000."
Here is a link to the story on NPR's "All things considered" on February 1, 2008...
I think this weaves nicely into the concept from the Optimism and Time posting from especially since it was almost three years prior to Dr. King's speech at WMU!
ReplyDeleteIt was a courageous stand that these individuals took. Working in Higher Education, I reflect on those students I have encountered that are leaders and have passion about what they believe in. It is encouraging that although there are few, that is sometimes all it takes to make change happen.
I love the "little old white lady" component in the story. She was thinking the same thing but didn't have the courage or the voice to do anything about what she knew was unjust. Sadly, had she initiated a protest, the impact would not have been the same! You can't always assume that somebody's life is so different just by looking at them. Once we start talking and sharing, we have more commonalities than we think.