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October 11, 2005

Woolworths Then & Now


On my way to the first day of the ConvergeSouth conference, I snapped a couple photos of this interesting joint. It turns out that this is one of the living monuments to one part of the Civil Rights Movement. The plaque bears the names of the college freshmen who had the nerve to do what others said blacks shouldn't do. So this is the Woolworths of legend. Plans are in progress to make it a museum.

According to Wikipedia:

In 1960, four black college students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College sat down at an all-white Woolworth's lunch counter, and refused to leave when they were denied service. Hundreds of others soon joined in this first sit-in, which lasted for several months. Such protests quickly spread across the South, ultimately leading to the desegregation of Woolworth's and other chains. The original Woolworth's counter and stools now sit in the Smithsonian Museum, but a Sit-In Museum is being planned for the old Woolworth's building where the event actually occurred.

When I reflect upon the many of the various discussions I've had about Affirmative Action, it is Woolworth's that comes to mind. And specifically, I recall Malcolm's objection to the concession of retail jobs in exchange for calling off the street demonstrations. Today, blackfolks reject the economic infrastruction of a whole super Wal-Mart on the grounds that there simply isn't enough money in it for them. But perhaps the greatest irony is that Woolworth's has disappeared from the scene in its former shape and now exists as one of the most blackified employers in the country, Foot Locker.

And now you know, the rest of the story.

Posted by mbowen at October 11, 2005 05:26 PM

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Comments

The A&T Four as we call them in Aggie Land played a big role in the African American movement of the 60's. However, many outside of the A&T family do not know who they are.

Posted by: Nita at October 12, 2005 01:00 PM

They aren't half as well known as they ought to be. I regret that I didn't get a picture of the bronze statues on campus. I wasn't driving the car as I saw them going by. I vaguely put two and two together as I went by but I wasn't sure.

Posted by: Cobb [TypeKey Profile Page] at October 12, 2005 01:04 PM

As a kid who grew up in Gboro, I'm amazed the old Woolworths is still there. I'm not sure that I ever remember going in there, or seeing it open, and I was really quite grown before I knew that my town had been the site of anything so momentous.

Here's what I wonder now: Did the black kids know? Was my ignorance racial, or was it part of a more general lack of knowing?

Posted by: Daniel Conover at October 12, 2005 01:06 PM

The issue of establishing the International Civil-Rights Center and Museum is the same one. Money. So, spreading the word that this is important to Greensboro and the nation is critical at this time.

More info here http://www.sitinmovement.org/

Posted by: jw at October 12, 2005 02:06 PM