Why Is Feb 1st An Important Day?

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-Ins, an action which to many represents one of the starting moments of what became the Civil Rights Movement. This year, the day when four young men began their peaceful sit-in at the Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, NC is being celebrated by the opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. The Museum is housed in that very same Woolworths with the original counter as one of the central focuses of the exhibits.

In my senior year at Guilford College, I was able to intern at the (not yet opened) Museum and am happy to see that all the hard work of so many people is finally being rewarded with the opening of a Museum that not only honors the history of the Civil Rights Movement, but also helps people gain a greater understanding for the importance of that movement both in the towns and cities across the United States as well as in places around the world. Listen to an NPR interview with those involved in making this Museum a reality or read the NPR story here.

In the words of Franklin McCain, one of the original 'Greensboro Four:'
"[The museum] exists because there was the time that we don't want to go back to. And it also represents a kind of beacon for what's possible, and it says to people that all sorts of good things are possible if people work together and respect each other."

Today is an exciting day for Greensboro, and for history.

In peace,

~Rachael

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