A Look at the February 1960 High Point Sit-ins
Following the inspiration from the Woolworth's sit-ins in Greensboro, NC on February 1, 1960, 26 students from William Penn High School staged a sit-in at the Woolworth's store in High Point, NC ten days later . . .
Inspired to act . . .
The plans for the High Point sit-ins began just days after the Woolworth sit-ins in Greensboro. The student group was led by Mary Lou Andrews, a 15-year old student at William Penn High School, and mentored by Reverend Benjamin Elton Cox (Pilgrim Congregational Church - High Point, NC). A pledge of non-violence was required of all who were to participate.
Bravery and perseverance . . .
Mary Lou Andrews (now Mary Lou Blakeney) would recall in a 2021 article and segment with WGHP Fox 8 in High Point that as word spread around school about the planned sit-in, that the sentiment they got from faculty and students said they were counting on them and to "represent" and "be careful"(1)
The student group left William Penn High School and headed to the Woolworth's store in downtown High Point, arriving around 4pm. At first the group acted as though they were just shoppers, waiting on the moment for seats at the lunch counter to become empty before taking the empty seats(2).
All of 26 of the students took seats at the lunch counter. Blakeney would recall that the police and store personnel were "clearly shocked". She would also reference the fear they had amid the angry reaction from customers, saying it was
"Scary, because your back is open to space and if anything is coming at you, you couldn't see it".(1)
Blakeney explained in a 2009 editorial article in the Greensboro News & Record that they were refused service and told to leave, once occupying the seats at the lunch counter. Their refusal to do so was met with an angry crowd, racial slurs, and attempts to physically attack the student protesters.(3)
The group remained at the lunch counter until the store closed, returning to the 4th Street YMCA afterwards, determined to return the next day, which they did. The protest movement continued, extending to other stores and businesses in the city, moving towards the change the students had sought to bring about.
Impressions on this moment in history . . .
Not enough can be said about the courage shown by this group of students, ages 14-16, in their undertaking of this sit-in movement. Given what grown men and women risked protesting during the Civil Rights movement, it is hard for me to imagine high school aged kids doing the same or similar.
It's a very different High Point depicted in this story, than the one I grew up in. Blacks were allowed to shop in this Woolworth's store and order food, but not to stay and eat. Coexistence only had the appearance of being tolerated.
Just a little perspective, the distance the students marched from 4th Street YMCA to the Woolworth's in downtown High Point today measures about 1 mile on the map, although the area has changed since February 1960 to say the least.
The site where the Woolworth's store once stood is now the site of the Red Lion Hotel (formerly a Radisson Hotel). William Penn High School is now known as Penn-Griffin School of the Arts, a magnet school in High Point, NC. The 4th Street YMCA building is now New Beginning Full Gospel Church. The building is still there.
Many of the other buildings in the picture shown earlier in this article are no longer there. High Point hasn't done the best job of preserving its historical buildings. However, some are still around.