Emphasize was the fact that ordinary people were becoming much more militant and aggressive in defending their civil rights. Im going to continue that theme tonight and, indeed, i think its even more so the case in the 1950s and 1960s that ordinary people became the engines of the Civil Rights Movement. We tend to think about the Civil Rights Movement as Martin Luther king, jr. , fanny hammer and largerthanlife figures. The Civil Rights Movement was made up by ordinary people including and youll find out tonight a lot of College Students. A lot of College Students. In fact, in some ways the driving force of the Civil Rights Movement came from people who were probably no older than you in this room. I want you to remember that. College students were the main force in terms of the Civil Rights Movement. Okay. I want us to keep that in mind when we talk of the evolution of this movement. Ill begin the lecture by discussing the decade of the 1950s because the 1950s really provide, i think,
Virtually Nothing Happened until 1960 in civil rights. It was bad, absolutely bad. Even Martin Luther king said that. In 1960, things changed dramatically. Xi happen to be there. When you hear a railroad, the train is coming from far away, you become increasingly aware of the truck the train is rolling on. The track is what divides from black, it separates the white get from the black ghetto. Youre heading somewhere you dont really know where. Its not really for the good of society. And we block across the track in the wrong direction. Went to the other side. I think that greensboro liked to think of itself as being polite, moderate, open to different points of view. Greensboro is a town that doesnt like a lot of controversy. Greensboro was somewhat typical. Greensboro was like every other city in the south. We were focused on our day today, and our carefree atmosphere where life was pretty straightforward. Greensboro north carolina, was brent on the second world war. Before i was two
,. ,. We decided to walk to the counter and without a single word that is how it happened. But we took a seat. University professor speaks to us about the lunch counter sit in. So who were the greensboro for and why did they decide to sit down at that counter and that february day in 1960. Thank you for having me those were four young men who are college freshman, at North Carolina at the state university. Three of them had already met in high school. So they already had a report, they met the fourth as a freshman in college. So actually when thinking about Racial Injustice is theyd think about that how to integrate how to push the movement along for sometime now but it wasnt until, Joseph Mcneil is returning to school after christmas break in 1959, when he refused to neil, and train terminal. He was trying to buy a hotdog. And he gets back to campus, and he is emboldened. He says enough is enough. So him in his four friends, decide that they are going to target the wool worse, and go
I brought a notebook and made sure to get receipts. We mulled around in the store, just trying to get some fix on where we work and what we were about to do. I was having some anxiety get to me. I felt my temperature increase. I could feel my sweat coming off the side of my face. I didnt have to ask joe what he was thinking. We looked at each other and of bus looked at the counter at the same time. We just started to walk toward the counter. Without a single word. That is how it happened. Chair nadler host traci parker joins us now for a discussion about the lunch counter sitins of 1960. Traci parker, who with the who were the greensboro four and why did they decide to sit down at that woolworths lunch counter . In that february day in 1960 . Thank you for having me. Those were young men who were just College Freshmen at North Carolina state university. Three of them had already met in high school. And so, already had a rapport. They met the fourth as freshman in college. In college. E
[background speaking] protest. S a nonviolent bus boycott in februarylabama until 1, 1960, virtually Nothing Happened in the arena of civil rights. It was dead, absently dead, even Martin Luther king said that. In 1960 things did change dramatically in greensboro. Greensboro is the origin of all the events that occur subsequent. O february 1, 1960 mcneil happened to be there. And richmond. Thehen you hear a railroad, train is coming from far away and it is coming closer and you become increasingly aware of the track the train is rolling on. Divides whitewhat from black. That is what separates the white ghetto from the black ghetto. That headsrack somewhere but you do not know exactly where. And it is not really for the good of society. Citizens, and walked across the track in the wrong direction, went to the other side. Sitinshe four walked across the track in the wrong direction, to the other side. Greensboro liked to think of itself as polite and moderate and open to different points