Paving the Way

In honor of the opening of Black History month, I'd like to pay tribute to four trailblazers who showed us the impact of civil disobedience and the importance of standing up for what is right.

On 1 Feb 1960 four African American college students (Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr, and David Richmond) walked into a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, NC, sat down at the "whites only" lunch counter, and ordered coffee.  They were, of course, denied service and asked to leave.  But the four men refused to leave.  They stayed in their seats waiting to be served until the store closed that night.  They returned the next morning and, once again, took up residence at the "whites only" counter and were, once again, refused service and asked to leave.  Once again they remained until the store closed that evening.  This practice continued each day for 5 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days until the store finally surrendered and agreed to desegregate.

The Greensboro Four were not the first to stage a sit-in during the Civil Rights Movement but they were, and are, historically significant because of the attention they garnered for their cause.  When they entered Woolworth's on Feb 1 they had only each other to rely on for strength and solidarity.  However, when they returned the next day they found more than 20 other students from local colleges and universities there to join them.  Each morning as the men arrived they were met by more and more people joining them in their cause.  Widespread media coverage of the sit-in led to similar protests and boycotts in cities throughout the south.  By the time President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964 more than 70,000 Americans had taken part in various protests.

By their courage and determination, the Greensboro Four became part of  a great American tradition of civil disobedience.  From the colonists who dumped British tea into Boston harbor, to Henry Thoreau refusing to pay federal taxes, to Susan B. Anthony illegally casting a vote in the 1872 Presidential election; the American people have proven the power and ability of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.  It is that very spirit that ensures that we as a nation continue to make progress in the fight for justice and liberty for all.