#sit-ins

The people in the Civil Rights era didn't make gains because they held marches and sit-ins.

They made gains because they very publicly put economic strain on the Powers That Be in a way that those powers didn't have the infrastructure for absorbing the hit, while simultaneously caring for their own most vulnerable so that they would have the political willpower to hold the line until the powers were forced to concede.

I see a lot of people get angry that a march didn't work, because "we did the thing, why won't they back down now, they're supposed to back down!" And that's not how change actually happens. It's how it's taught, because if people believe that's how it happens, they won't cause problems to the status quo. But historical actions that worked, worked because they were multi-pronged, and hit key figures in the pocketbooks. If there is not economic pressure, those key figures will just sigh and wait it out, and let resistors burn themselves out. If oppression played fairly, there wouldn't be oppression. Not to mention that the infrastructure of power has changed in the last sixty years. Easy road is always mined, and all that.

if you want to emulate that history, look at the level of planning that went on behind those big movements and the weeks or months of prep-work, and emulate the style of the plan as adapted to your region rather than focusing on the flashy outcome.

- Digital History Exhibit on Sit-Ins

- Library of Congress Article

F. W. Woolworth's Building; International Civil Rights Center & Museum

Surfing around I saw this photo out of the corner of my eye. I knew exactly where it was taken and its significance. I was kinda shocked.

The photo link is to a page at The Civil Rights Trail, The Civil Rights Center and Museum are in Greensboro. There's a short video of Robert Petterson talking about the lunch counter sit-ins in 1960. Four freshmen students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University--Aggies--led the demostrations: and became known at the Greensboro Four : David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell A. Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil.

March: Book One John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell

10 Favorite Lines:

“My dear children, READ. Read EVERYTHING."

Dr. King’s message hit me like a bolt of lightening. He applied the principles of the Church to what was happening NOW, today. It was called the Social Gospel —

Here I was reading about justice, when there were brave people out there working to make it happen. I started to feel guilty for not doing more. I became restless.

…I’d meet people who opened my eyes to a sense of values that would forever dominate my moral philosophy — the way of peace, the way of love, the way of non-violence.

…the hardest part to learn — to truly understand, deep in your heart — was how to find love for your attacker. “Do NOT let them shake your faith in nonviolence— LOVE them!”

We knew we couldn’t let the threat of violence stop us.

Violence does beget violence, but the opposite is just as true. Fury spends itself pretty quickly when there’s no fury facing it.

We weren’t about to cooperate in ANY way with the system allowing the very discrimination we were protesting.

…the mayor’s committee… proposed a system of “Partial Integration” — which was the same to us as Partial Segregation.

“58 years ago this month, 4 North Carolina A&T students held first major sit-in of civil rights movement at Greensboro Woolworth. They were 18 & 19 at time. A reminder of the power young activists have”