In February of 1961, four Black freshmen students at the Agricultural and Technical college walk up to a lunch counter at a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC. They politely order donuts and coffee. The waitress refuses to serve them.
Instead of leaving, the four students take seats at the counter.
For the next four days, more Black students dressed in their best clothes—pressed suits and starched dresses—show up at the Woolworth lunch counter and order food that never comes while White segregationists heckle and harass them.
Within two weeks, students in eleven different cities are staging sit-ins at lunch counters. By April, seventy-five cities. These activists and students follow certain protocols: “Do show yourself friendly on the counter at all times. Do sit straight always and face the counter. Don’t strike back if attacked. Don’t curse.”
Easier said then done. People who … [continue reading...] about How to Act in the Moment