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Curated highlights from Civil Rights Greensboro

A collection of items from the Clarence Harris Papers that were highlighted as part of the Civil Rights Greensboro exhibit. These items are primarily scrapbook items that have additional descriptive and contextual detail as part of their metadate. All these items are also included in their respective folders or scrapbooks within the "main" collection.

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Sit-ins and how they changed us
In this May 15, 1983 article, William D. Snider, former editor of the Greensboro Daily News and the Greensboro Record, reflects on his experiences as a member of the Greensboro news media during the time of the 1960 sit-ins at Woolworth's. Snider notes that, initially, there was some debate of whether the sit-ins were even newsworthy, but that news of the sit-ins spread quickly throughout the country. Snider claims this particular movement starting in Greensboro with the city's five institutions of higher learning and credits Greensboro leaders with the movement's local roots, stating that they "believed in civility." This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins. Also included are Harris' handwritten notes disputing some of the information in the Snider column, such as the effect that the sit-in movement had on businesses in downtown Greensboro.
Sit-ins just one step in continuing journey to promised land
This January 28, 1990, article in the Greensboro News & Record was authored by William H. Chafe of Duke University, the author of Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina and the Black Struggle for Freedom. In this article commemorating their thirtieth anniversary, Chafe reviews the historical perspective of the 1960 sit-ins, and states that they did not happen in isolation but as part of a larger, ongoing movement. Chafe further suggests that class and gender had become as significant as race as a societal issue. This article was saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins. Harris was featured prominently in Chafe's book on the sit-ins. William H. Chafe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1942. He was raised in Cambridge, attended the public schools there, and then went to Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude in history in 1962. After a year at Union Theological Seminary in New York, he taught for two years at Columbia Grammar School, a private preparatory school in New York City. Starting in 1965, he was a student in the graduate program in American history at Columbia University where he received his Ph.D. in 1971. He taught for one year at Vassar College, and then in 1971 began his career at Duke University. Much of Dean Chafe's professional scholarship reflects his long-term interest in issue of race and gender equality. His dissertation and first book focused on the changing social and economic roles of American women in the fifty years after the woman suffrage amendment. Subsequent books compared the patterns of race and gender discrimination in America. His book on the origins of the sit-in movement in North Carolina helped to re-orient scholarship on civil rights toward social history and community studies. Chafe has written two books on the history of post-World War II America, and a biography of the liberal crusader Allard Lowenstein. The author of eight books overall, he has received the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award (1981) for Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina and the Black Struggle for Freedom (1980) and the Sidney Hillman book award (1994) for Never Stop Running: Allard Lowenstein and the Struggle to Save American Liberalism (1993). Professor Chafe's activities at Duke have also reflected these interests. He has been co-director of the Duke Oral History Program, and its Center for the Study of Civil Rights and Race Relations; he is a founder and the former Academic Director of the Duke-UNC Center for Research on Women; he is also a founder and senior research associate of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. In 1988 he was named the Alice Mary Baldwin Distinguished Professor of History. He is the recipient of numerous fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavior Sciences. From 1990 to 1995 Chafe chaired the Duke University Department of History. In 1995 he became Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and in 1997 added to that title new responsibilities as Dean of Trinity College. He has most recently been appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. He is married to Lorna Waterhouse Chafe, Coordinator of Child Care Services at Duke. They have two children, Christopher, 30, and Jennifer, 28. -From Chafe's personal webpage, http://www.aas.duke.edu/admin/deans/faculty/chafe.html.
Sitters-In Invited to Return: Telecast To Commemorate Original Event
In this February 1, 1973 Greensboro Daily News article, Harvey Harris reports on an upcoming ABC News telecast entitled, <cite class="tv">Whatever Happened to the Greensboro 4. Filming for this telecast reunited the four original participants of the sit-ins at the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter in 1960. Sit-in participant David Richmond was interviewed for this piece and saw the telecast as an opportunity to tell millions of Americans how much could be accomplished through non-violent demonstrations. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook on race relations by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins.
Social Activists Turn Up Heat
In this Greensboro Daily News article, Jack Scism and William March discusses the not guilty verdicts in the Klan/Nazis trial regarding the murders of five Communist Workers Party members at the Death to the Klan march in Greensboro, on November 3, 1979. The article reports that in response to the verdict, many community members have called for action from the city government, specifically in relation to adopting a ward system for electing city council members. Mayor Jim Melvin argued that community issues should be handled outside the realm of the shootings, and said he disagreed with the theory that the verdict reflects problems with race relations in Greensboro. The city council announced plans to discuss the findings of the Human Relations Commission's report on the November 3rd events at their next meeting, including the recommendations for a ward system, ordinances against discrimination, and increased strength of affirmative action policies. Also mentioned in the article are: Vic Nussbaum, Dr. George Simkins, Senator Henry Frye, Rev. Otis Hairston, and Rev. Chuck Klotzberger. This news clipping is included in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the sit-ins made by Clarence L. "Curly" Harris, former manager of the Greensboro Woolworth's.
South's Blacks' 1st Battle Was Here
This brief article, published February 7, 1970, discusses the February 1, 1960 sit-in at the Greensboro Woolworth store, orchestrated by North Carolina A&T State University students David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khzan). Richmond was interviewed for the article and says he feels protests should stay within the law and "The movement today is moving toward violence. But that's what I call the impossible revolution." The article states that the David Richmond Fund has been created to help him return to college, where he only needs twelve credits to graduate. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins.
Spark remains and Recalling the sit-ins
These two 1980 Greensboro Daily News editorials were published around the time of the twentieth anniversary of the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins. The January 23, 1980 editorial, "Recalling the sit-ins," outlines events planned to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the sit-ins and the unveiling of a North Carolina historical marker at the site of the protests. The article recalls the struggle fought to receive a historical marker for the site, including a debate with Durham, North Carolina, over where the sit-in movement originated. The February 4, 1980 editorial, "The spark remains," reflects on events commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 Woolworth store sit-ins including a luncheon with Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, David Richmond, and Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.), speech by Andrew Young, and a luncheon where former North Carolina A&T State University president Dr. Samuel Proctor commended the four initial protesters along with former A&T students for their actions, but said the fight for civil rights is not over. These articles were clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins.
Speakers Urge Renewal of Civil Rights Fervor
In this February 1, 1980 Greensboro Daily News article Dwight Cunningham reports on speeches made at North Carolina A&T State University by Andrew Young, Dr. Mary Berry, Rev. Ben Chavis, and Cleveland Sellers. The gathering was in commemoration of the 1960 sit-ins at the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter that spawned lunch counter sit-ins across the South and rejuvenated the civil rights movement. The article states that all four speakers encouraged students "to begin again nonviolent action to eradicate racism and poverty in America" and "endorsed today's Greensboro anti-Klan march and rally." Most of the article focuses on Young's speech, which transformed the gymnasium "into a black church." This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins. Dwight F. Cunningham was a staff writer for the Greensboro Daily News in 1980.
Spotlight to shine on sit-in participants
This January 20, 1990 artcle by Jim Schlosser appeared in the January 29, 1990 Greensboro News & Record, and consists of an interview with David Richmond, one of the original four participants in the 1960 sit-ins at the Greensboro Woolworth store. Richmond discusses his memories of the discrimination he faced as a youth and of the sit-ins themselves. He recounts that he was the last of the four to be seated and then discusses the actions of Woolworth's manager Clarence "Curly" Harris, who, Richmond says, attempted to get the police to remove the students but would not sign a warrant, and therefore simply closed the store early instead. Richmond also discusses his life after the sit-ins and his recent termination from a local nursing home for unspecified reasons. The article was published in connection with the thirtieth anniversary of the sit-ins.This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins.
State marker for '60 sit-in on commission's agenda
In this November 15, 1979 Greensboro Record article, Jo Spivey reports on efforts to obtain a North Carolina historical marker at the site of the 1960 Woolworth store sit-ins in Greensboro. Spivey writes that there had been earlier fears that there would not be funding for a marker because of economic constraints on the N.C. Highway Historical Marker Commission. Spivey also writes of the creation of the February 1 Committee to organize events for a celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the sit-ins. Members of the committee include Shirley Frye, Hal Sieber, Richard Moore, Manlin Forgay, Kathy Harrelson, Vance Chavis, Sol Jacobs, Alex Stoessen, and Nell Coley. A picture of the completed historical marker is included on this scrapbook page. Both the article and picture were clipped and saved in a scrapbook on race relations by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins that spawned lunch counter sit-ins across the South and rejuvenated the civil rights movement.
Strife at High School Leaves Scars: Many Blacks Don't Like Busing Either
This April 14, 1974 Greensboro Daily News article quotes African American students about their experiences at the recently-integrated Grimsley High School. Many of these students, who were a small minority at Grimsley, longed to attend a school like predominantly black Dudley High School. The black students mention issues such as being bussed to Grimsley even if they lived close to Dudley, believing there were too few opportunities for extracurricular activities that they cared about, white teachers not being able to relate to them, and being perceived as an 'Uncle Tom' if they excelled in academics. One black teacher and several white teachers are also noted as saying that many of the white teachers do not hide their contempt or disinterest in black students. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook on desegregation by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins that spawned lunch counter sit-ins across the South and rejuvenated the civil rights movement.
Students at A&T Urged "to Keep on Marching"
In this February 4, 1980 Greensboro Daily News article, Mae Israel reports on the responses of students to the celebration commemorating the 1960 Greensboro Woolworth store sit-ins. Israel writes that many feel the events have triggered a renewed interest in community consciousness. Most of the article is dedicated to a speech made by Livingstone College Dean Dr. Walter L. Yates, who called for students to "keep on marching." In his speech, Yates cited the women's liberation movement, atheism, materialism, and changing morals as threats to the civil rights movement. Also mentioned in the article is student participation in an anti-Klan march and rally held February 1. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins.
Television Gave Impetus to Movement
This January 27, 1980 Greensboro Daily News article was published on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 sit-ins at the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter. The article chronicles numerous civil rights struggles in Greensboro in the decade prior to the sit-ins including Dr. George Simpkins effort to desegregate the municipal golf course, Ezell Blair, Sr."s drive to get local businesses to hire more minorities, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to the Bennett College campus in 1958. Also mentioned is the peripheral involvement of white merchant Ralph Johns and North Carolina A&T College president Warmath Gibbs in the 1960 sit-ins. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins.
This Time Questions Keep 4 From Eating
In this February 2, 1980 Greensboro Daily News article, Kenneth Campbell reports on events held to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 sit-ins at the Greensboro Woolworth store. The article begins with an account of a breakfast held at the Woolworth's lunch counter where Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.), David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain protested the store's segregation policies in 1960. As a part of the day's events, the four were given awards from North Carolina A&T State University, a North Carolina historical marker was placed on the corner of Elm Street and Friendly Avenue to mark the site of the sit-ins, and a marker was placed inside the Woolworth store. At a convocation, the four made it clear that credit for the success of the protests belongs to a lot of people. Khazan credited several African American leaders, including A&T's Dr. Warmouth Gibbs and Dr. Samuel Proctor. At a lunch the four discussed the importance of continuing the fight for equality. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins. Kenneth Campbell was a staff writer for the Greensboro Daily News in 1980.
Time to reflect on racial issues
This December 18, 1987, guest column from the Greensboro News & Record was written by Charles W. Fairley of the Greensboro Visions Task Force on Housing and concerns an upcoming march in Greensboro by a white supremacist organization. Fairley asks readers to consider what they have done to further the cause of race relations since the 1979 Death to the Klan march at which five protestors were murdered, and suggests that the upcoming march may actually foster communication. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins that spawned lunch counter sit-ins across the South and rejuvenated the civil rights movement.
Time to talk
This October 13, 1980 Greensboro Daily News editorial decries the need for communication between black and white citizens in Greensboro, specifically after the violence at the Death to the Klan march on November 3, 1979, at which five Communist Workers Party members were killed. This claim comes in response to a recommendation for improved city government communication as laid out in the Human Relation Commissions report on the event. The editorial claims: "While the confrontation between extremist groups on November 3, 1979, did not result from an earlier expression of grievances in this community, it did contribute to a polarizing of views and a heightening of suspicions - often along racial lines - that already existed in Greensboro." The piece goes on to explore the opinions of different groups on the violence of November 3rd, and calls for a look at the event through a larger historical context. The author expresses fears regarding community reaction to the pending outcome of the Klan/Nazi trial, and implores city leaders to differentiate between the November 3rd event and other community problems that deserve attention. This is the second editorial in a series on the topic. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins.
Triad rates well on integration
This article by Jim Schlosser appeared in the August 20, 1989, Greensboro News & Record, and concerns a University of Chicago study that showed the Triad area was one of the least segregated metropolitan areas in the United States, as measured by housing patterns. The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) did not dispute the finding, but noted that subtle racism was still a factor in the area despite residential trends. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook on race relations by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins that spawned lunch counter sit-ins across the South and rejuvenated the civil rights movement.
Two bucked customs before sit-ins
In this February 1, 1985 article published in Greensboro News & Record, staff writer Jim Schlosser reports on one of two downtown Greensboro businesses that were already integrated before the 1960 Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins. White entrepreneur Robert S. "Bob" Jones operated Bob Jones Sandwich Bar two blocks away from the downtown Greensboro Woolworth store. Jones' restaurant was integrated six years prior to the sit-ins and Jones claims black and white people got along well there. Jones stated he would have likely done only half the business he did had his shop been segregated and he credited the thriving integrated business to being able to retire at age 55. Also mentioned is Lane Drug Store, which integrated six months prior to the sit-ins. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the1960 sit-ins.
Unfinished business
This October 14, 1980 Greensboro Daily News editorial discusses the community response almost one year after the violence at the Death to the Klan march on November 3, 1979, at which five Communist Workers Party members were killed. The author argues for increased discussion among Greensboro's diverse communities. While commending the police department and the Human Relations Commission for their response, the author encourages more city officials and civic organizations to actively discuss issues like the ward system, downtown renewal, mass transit, housing, and black youth unemployment. This is the third and final article in a series on the topic. This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins.
Was city progressive? No, says Chafe
This 1980 Greensboro Record article by Abe Jones reviews historian William Chafe's newly published book about the civil rights movement in Greensboro, Civilities and Civil Rights. Jones writes that Chafe spent eight years researching and writing the book and that many of those interviewed for the book have commended Chafe for his work. Even so, Jones warns that many Greensboro citizens will be displeased with Chafe's argument that the city only took action on civil rights after it came under pressure and that Greensboro's aura of progressiveness is a myth. Jones gives a brief summary of the book and Greensboro's racial history and also makes reference to the murders of five Communist Workers Party members at the Death to the Klan march on November 3, 1979. He concludes by saying that Chafe's book, while not perfect, is "a highly readable and essential book for anyone who wants to understand this community and the civil rights movement." This article was clipped and saved in a scrapbook about the twentieth anniversary of the 1960 lunch counter sit-ins by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the sit-ins.
We were told most blacks did not want change
This Greensboro News & Record article was written by Miles Wolff, Jr., author of Lunch at the Five and Ten (How It All Began), a 1970 book on the Greensboro sit-ins. The article features Wolff's personal perspective on the event as well as his memories of life before desegregation—he was a teenager at the time of the sit-ins—of the Greensboro public school desegregation in 1957, and of how impressed he was that the students not much older than him had stood up and demonstrated their believe that change was needed. This article was saved in a scrapbook by Clarence "Curly" Harris, manager of the Greensboro Woolworth store at the time of the 1960 sit-ins. The article is undated, but it is placed in the scrapbook adjacent to other articles from 1990 commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the sit-ins.

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