February 1960Reputable sourceWell documented
The Greensboro Sit-Ins
On the timeline · around February 1960 ·
What happened
On 1 February 1960 four Black college students sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave when denied service. Their quiet protest spread within weeks to dozens of cities, and after six months the Greensboro lunch counter was desegregated.
Why it matters
The Greensboro sit-ins ignited a youth-led, direct-action phase of the movement and inspired the founding of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Sources
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Greensboro Lunch Counter · Reputable source