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This sit-ins took place in Nashville, Tennessee in 1960 & was a part of the large Civil Rights Movement in the United States which aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against Black Americans. The Nashville sit-ins showcased the power of nonviolent resistance and the impact that students and young people could have in leading and shaping movements for justice. They were instrumental in challenging and changing the system of segregation prevalent in the South.
The Nashville sit-ins targeted lunch counters at various stores, including McClellan's, Kress and Woolworth, where Black patrons were refused service. I was impressed as a college student at this time, to see young people from my generation practicing nonviolence in such scary environments. I admired them and supported their efforts as most Americans did.
What were the results of their protests?
The Nashville Student Movement organized the sit-ins, which was influenced by the nonviolent teachings of people like James Lawson, a divinity student at Vanderbilt University. Lawson conducted workshops on nonviolent resistance, training students on how to act and react during the sit-ins.
On February 13, 1960, students from local Black colleges, including Fisk University, Tennessee State University, and American Baptist College, began the sit-ins at the lunch counters. When they sat down, they were refused service, but they remained seated in protest.
Over the next several weeks, the sit-ins continued and grew in number. Participants were often harassed by white customers and, in some cases, were arrested for civil disobedience.
In addition to sit-ins, the activists implemented a successful boycott of the downtown Nashville stores. The economic pressure from the boycotts, combined with the attention from the sit-ins, was instrumental in pushing for change.
On April 19, 1960, the home of Alexander Looby, a lawyer working with the protestors, was bombed. Thankfully, no one was injured. This act of violence, however, further galvanized the movement. Thousands marched in protest to the city hall, confronting Mayor Ben West. During this confrontation, Diane Nash, one of the student leaders, asked the mayor if he believed it was wrong to discriminate against someone based on their race. West admitted that it was wrong, marking a turning point in the movement.
By May 10, 1960, after negotiations between the store owners, city officials, and protest leaders, six downtown Nashville stores began serving Black customers at their lunch counters. This made Nashville the first major city in the South to begin desegregating its public places.
The success of the Nashville sit-ins provided a blueprint for nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience that would be used in other cities throughout the South. Many of the participants in the Nashville sit-ins, including John Lewis, Diane Nash, and Bernard Lafayette, went on to become prominent leaders in the broader Civil Rights Movement.
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David Hoffman filmmaker