National Museum of American History

On February 1, 1960, four African American college students, Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond sat down at this "whites only" lunch counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely asked for service. Their request was refused and when asked to leave, the students remained in their seats in protest. For six months hundreds of students, civil rights organizations, churches, and members of the community joined the protest and boycotted the store. Their commitment ultimately led to the desegregation of the F. W. Woolworth lunch counter on July 25, 1960. Their peaceful sit-down was a watershed event in the struggle for civil rights and helped ignite a youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality throughout the South.