Browse Exhibits (3 total)
Sit-In's: Let Freedom Ring
On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina A&T walked into Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina and did what was at that time, unthinkable; they sat down at a "whites only" lunch counter as an act of peacefully protest. This act sparked a nation wide copy cat protests which eventually led to the desegregation of spaces throughout the South. These succesful protests led to copy cat sit-in's and marches all accross America. One of the most notable sit-in's happened in CLeveland, Ohio where parents, educators, and local leaders staged a sit-in protest at the headquarters of the Cleveland School district building in downtown Cleveland.
Hough Riots
The Hough Riots of 1966 was a six day event (July 18-23) that occurred due to a national pattern of high racial tension and frustration between Whites and African Americans. The high rates of tension produced violence throughout the country and the outcomes were similar to the Hough Riots. At the 79’ers Café on Hough Avenue an African American customer asked for a glass of water and the owner refused to do so. The owner then proceeded to post a sign in the window indicating “No water for Niggers". This particular dispute is what sparked the riots on July 18th, 2017 starting from a rock being thrown in the window leading to looting, arson, and shooting. It escalated so quickly that even the police were unable to diffuse the situation.
On July 20th, the National Guard was requested to move into Hough by Mayor Ralph Locher, with intentions of diffusion and restoration. It took a few days for things to die down due to the fact that a large fire broke out at Cedar and East 106 Street on the 21st of July. By the next week (7/25) things began to die down and so did the neighborhood a little since then. There was no evidence that the riot was planned. records indicate that during these riots 4 people were killed, 30were injured and 300 were reported arrested. The racial tension between Whites and African Americans was a widespread throughput the country in the sixties.
