- Collection:
- Greensboro Voices: Voicing Observations in Civil Rights and Equality struggles
- Title:
- Sit-In, Feb. 1, 1960, F.W. Woolworth, Greensboro, NC, 1957-1985 [Clarence Lee Harris Scrapbook #1]
- Creator:
- Harris, Clarence Lee
- Date of Original:
- 1960/1985
- Subject:
- Greensboro Sit-ins, Greensboro, N.C., 1960
Segregation
Civil rights demonstrations - Location:
- United States, North Carolina, Guilford County, Greensboro, 36.07264, -79.79198
- Medium:
- clippings (information artifacts)
documents (object genre)
ephemera (general object genre)
typescripts
scrapbooks - Type:
- StillImage
Text - Format:
- image/jpeg
- Description:
- Scrapbook 1 is part of a set of scrapbooks Harris compiled during the 1980s which record his perspective on the sit-ins though his own writings, news clippings, photographs, and other ephemera. This scrapbook is organized like a book. The first section includes the foreword, acknowledgments, and a chronology of the sit-ins at that serves as a table of contents for the rest of the scrapbook. An unidentified news clipping depicting the unveiling of a historic marker commemorating the sit-ins provides a frontispiece to the scrapbook. Chapter 1 focuses on Woolworth's business practices and race relations compared to the racial makeup of Greensboro. Included are photographs of the dining area and bakery of the Woolworth's taken in 1985, images of Elm Street showing the store exterior in the 1960s, a July 1980 article by Al Farber of "Hamburger Square Post" entitled "Food, Folks Are Tops At Woolworth's On Elm", Jerry Bledsoe's December 1981 column on Boyd Morris, former owner of Mayfair Cafeteria, titled "At the End of The Line, A Giant Serving Of Love", a chronology of Woolworth's clipped from the company's newsletter in 1979,sales figures from the leading Woolworth stores in 1958-1959, before the sit-ins, and after desegregation in July 1962 and 1963, and a partial diagram of the interior of Woolworth's with the site of the sit-ins on the first and second days marked. Chapter 2 focuses on the events of February 1, 1960, including Harris' actions regarding the demonstrators. Mentioned are the "Greensboro Four": David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Joseph McNeil; Woolworth waitress Susie Morrison; Greensboro police chief Paul Calhoun; and photographer Jack Moebes. Included is a 1985 anniversary article from the Greensboro News & Record by Kelly Mitchell-Clark, "Four still bound by friendship, belief in civil rights", on the Greensboro Four’s actions and lives. Chapter 3 focuses on the events of February 2, 1960, the second day of sit-ins, when student demonstrators occupied all twenty-seven seats at Woolworth's. Harris claims that normal lunch counter business was not disrupted and that the press took photographs without his permission. Included in this section is the Greensboro Record article from February 2, 1960, entitled "A&T Students Launch 'Sit Down' Demand For Service at Downtown Lunch Counter' which includes a well-known photo of four students at the lunch counter. Also included is a February 6, 1960, article "White Men Arrested at Sitdown" and a Greensboro News & Record article from 1985, "Daring act by four teenagers tumbles racial barriers" by Jim Schlosser. 'Chapters 4, 5, and 6 focus on the events of February 3-5, 1960 - the third, fourth, and fifth days of sit-ins. Harris remarks on how the press coverage fueled growing interest in the sit-ins, which increasingly began to impact the store’s business. He outlines meetings with university presidents, local business managers, regional Woolworth’s representatives, and attorneys, which led to no resolve. Harris observes increasing tension but emphasizes the lack of "disturbances." Also included are newspaper clippings regarding the sit-ins, including "Movement By Negroes Growing", a partial article titled "Student Strength Rises in Protest At Lunch Counter", "A. & T. College Students Seek Service At Midtown Lunch Counter" from the Feb. 6 The Future Outlook, and an editorial from the Feb. 5 Greensboro Daily News called "Leadership at the Five and Ten". Chapter 7 focuses on the events of February 6, 1960, the sixth day of sit-ins - namely the large crowd of onlookers at Woolworth, the bomb threat called into the store, and the store's subsequent closing. Harris also provides the Woolworth's sales figures for February through July 1960 which underscore the store's declining sales and particularly the negative effects of the half-day closing. Included in this chapter is a February 7 Greensboro Daily News article, "A&T Students Call Two-Week Recess in Protest Here," along with Harris' comments on the clipping. Chapters 8 and 9 focus on the period between February 7, when the students suspended the sit-ins in order to negotiate, and the week of February 23, when the protests resumed. Harris explains why race relations at the Greensboro Woolworth store were "very good" prior to the sit-ins, noting that there were a comparatively high number of black employees and no signs for segregated drinking fountains. He describes his position on desegregation as being "with the community" and criticizes city leadership for not passing a public accommodation ordinance. Harris also describes a meeting of business owners at which he offered to desegregate his store if others did, but all parties refused. This section contains several news clippings about sit-ins around the U.S., including "Negro Pupils Crowd Store; It Closes" concerning the Feb. 13 protest at the High Point Woolworth, "NCC, Duke Student Join in Woolworth Counter Protest" from the February 8, 1960, Duke University Chronicle, and several concerning Raleigh. One page also contains an account of Greensboro Mayor George Roach's statement regarding the sit-ins, and the full-text of his February 10 statement. Chapters 10, 11, and 12 focus on events taking place from the end of February through the summer of 1960, including the continued sit-ins and Harris' eventual decision to desegregate Woolworth. Harris describes his efforts to deter the protesters and the negative effect of continued sit-ins on the store, as well as a meeting he held with Woolworth's African American employees shortly after the sit-ins began. He describes a meeting with the Human Relations Committee and takes issue with press coverage which focused blame only on Woolworth and Kress. Harris also reasserts his wish that a desegregation law had been passed that applied to all stores and decries the lack of action from city officials, but ends the section with a discussion of his decision to desegregate. Included in this section is a Greensboro Daily News article by Julian Morrison, "Woolworth to Close Counter: Food Sale Ends For Time Being," which Harris notes errors in, an editorial titled "An Uneasy Peace" and letters to the editor from the "Public Pulse" Section. Chapters 13 and 14 focus on the initial phase of desegregation at the Greensboro store and sit-ins at the Winston-Salem, N.C., Woolworth. Harris notes that the "colored" counter at the Winston-Salem store was nicer than the one for whites, suggests that the ratio of black patrons in Greensboro was much lower than in Winston, and takes issue with Miles Wolff's implication that events at the Winston-Salem Woolworth influenced his decision to desegregate the Greensboro store. Harris describes the uneventful July 26, 1960 opening of Woolworth's lunch counter to blacks and his invitation to four African American Woolworth's employees to be the first served: Charles Bess, Susie Morrison, Mattie Long and Jamie Ruth Robinson. He notes that very few blacks took advantage of the new policy they fought so hard for. Chapters 15, 16, 17, and 18 contain Harris’ retrospective analysis of the sit-ins and what they accomplished. He writes of the massive size of the demonstrations, meetings with students and college administrators, his opinion of student actions, loss of Woman's College student patronage, and the city government's ineffective response to the sit-ins. Harris decries the intrusion of the media, particularly unauthorized photographers, and mentions a new round of local protests that developed later in 1960 aimed at other restaurants and business. Chapter 19 focuses on Harris' personal response to the 1960 sit-ins. Harris includes his biography, and explains how many of his attempts to address the situation failed until he and Kress Department Store decided to desegregate their businesses. Ultimately he feels the sit-ins damaged Woolworth's image. Included in this section are two letters commending Harris for the appearance and set-up of the Greensboro Woolworth store. Chapter 20 focuses on the long-term impact of the sit-ins, including the deterioration of downtown retail in Greensboro and Harris’ observation that inequality in social interactions still remained in 1980. He also asserts the authenticity of his accounting of the events and the unreliable nature of word-of-mouth and second-hand written versions. Included in this section are a news article about Benjamin L. Smith, D. Edward Hudgins, Jesse Jackson, and David Schenck, entitled "Four who changed the racial times," and a Sept. 24, 1978 Greensboro Daily News article by William Snider, "Why did the sit-ins start in Greensboro?", along with Harris' comments on it. Lengthier comments on the article are contained Chapter 21. Chapter 21 is entitled "The Legal, Ethical, and Economical Aspects" of the sit-ins and desegregation of the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter. Harris emphasizes that no laws were broken by himself or the student protesters, and observes that while poor sales figures recovered, profits for Woolworth's never did. He also argues that he was not responsible for the systematic segregation in the South, observes that long-held customs are difficult to change, and cites the students' protest methods as unethical. He closes his essay with a quote from Abraham Lincoln. This chapter also includes a more detailed commentary on the editorial contained in Chapter 20, William Snider's "Why did the sit-ins start in Greensboro." Harris provides his thoughts on many factors effecting the sit-ins, from location to individuals' involvement. Also included are a picture of Harris as president of the Greensboro Merchants Association with the article "Better Customer Contacts In Business World Urged" from the Feb. 20, 1962 Greensboro Record, and an undated article by the Record's Hugh Page entitled "March 31 Deadline Figures in Change" concerning integration of sales personnel in downtown retail stores.
- Metadata URL:
- http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CivilRights/id/1657
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- IN COPYRIGHT. This item is subject to copyright. Contact the contributing institution for permission to reuse.
- Original Collection:
- http://libapps.uncg.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=506
MSS141 Clarence Lee Harris Papers, circa 1916-1997
CRG - Contributing Institution:
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro. University Libraries
- Rights:
-
