The Southern Sit-Ins
and the Origins of the Student Movement
"We Started Because We Were Tired of Waiting for You to Act."--
Sit-In Participant in Chattanooga, TN
The Origins of the Sit-In Movement
SCLC: In Crisis–by 1960, SCLC had failed to develop a successful follow-up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott
February 1, 1960: The Greensboro 4 conduct sit-in in downtown Woolworths
The Sit-ins Spread Rapidly–first through North Carolina and the across the South
Point #1) More than a Spontaneous Movement
The Movement Spread Quickly because of the Organized Infrastructure established by Nonviolent Civil Rights Activists Across the South
Dr. King’s Speaking Tours Had Popularized the Idea of Nonviolence; he spoke in Greensboro in 1958
"Test Sit-Ins" Had Been Conducted by Youth Groups Across the South Since the mid-50’s; in every case, protesters left before they could be arrested
The Nashville Nonviolence Workshops: Beginning in 1958, James Lawson led weekly workshops to prepare students from city’s 4 black colleges for nonviolent protest.
Infrastructure not only spreads word of the protests but provides support for students to risk injury, jail, and school expulsion to participate in the sit-ins
Point #2: Student Activists and the Generation Gap
Sit-in Participants were raised in the Postwar Era
As Americans, They Expected the Same Opportunities as Whites
Frustration with the Older Generation (Parents, etc.) for their acceptance of segregation
The Failure of the Brown Decision: They Were Angry that Brown Decision had not led to school desegregation by the time they were ready for college
A Need to Act Against Injustice In Order to Prove One’s Humanity-- The Influence of Existentialist Philosophy.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Generation Gap
Ella Baker Organizes the April 1960 Raleigh Conference to Coordinate Growing Student Civil Rights Movement
Conference Delegates Confirm a Commitment to Nonviolent Protest and to the Ideal of a Beloved Community
Decide to Form an Independent Student-Led Organization (SNCC) rather to Affiliate with an Adult-Led Civil Rights Group
Influenced by Baker's Critique of King's Charismatic Leadership-Style and Her Call for Group-Centered Leadership
Point 3#: Community Support for the Sit-Ins
The Sit-Ins Succeed in Embarrassing Adult Leaders in Black Communities into Action
Adults Organize to Provide Lawyers and Bail Money for Students
In Some Cities, Adults and Students Jointly Organize Black Boycotts of Downtown Shopping Districts To Press for Lunch Counter Desegregation
Sit-Ins and Boycotts Demonstrate that Unified Black Communities Can Force Whites to Change Segregationist Policies
Point #4: A Respectable Image
Sit-In Activists Cultivated a Studious, Responsible Image in order to:
--Contradict Stereotypical Images of Black Youth
--Counterpose Mobs of Young White Men Who Attack the Sit-ins
--Challenge Image of Postwar Youth as Silent, Uncommitted, Apathetic Generation
Point #5: Impact on Young People Across the Country
The Sit-ins Inspire Black Youth Across the South, from Small Towns in South Carolina to Rural Mississippi to Believe for the First Time that They Could Successfully Challenge Segregation.
Young People in the North Are Also Inspired by Images of Young People Acting Collectively for Social and Political Change. In northern cities and college towns (including Ann Arbor), interracial groups of students organize picket-lines and boycotts of National "Five-and-Dime" Chains.
Lessons of the Sit-ins
Nonviolence Can
Mobilize and Unify Southern Black Communities
Hurt White Southern Economies
Win Northern Support