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Since the Greensboro sit-ins on Feb. 1, 1960, the News &
Record has published dozens of stories about what brought
the four N.C. A&T freshmen together in an attempt to integrate
F.W. Woolworth's lunch counter.
The paper has chronicled their fears as they walked East Market
Street to the store where they sat without service the first
day and many other days. Readers have seen the stories about
the way the sit-ins spread throughout the South, changing
race relations across the country. Now, with this website,
you can hear the participants tell the stories themselves.
www.sitins.com, originally launched Feb. 1, 1998, and updated
in 2004, contains almost 100 audio clips from dozens of hours
of recordings with sit-in participants, with interviews from
News & Record writer Jim Schlosser, and the Greensboro
Public Library.
"The News & Record and the Public Library share the
same goal: to lead our community to knowledge," said
Sandy Neerman, director of the Greensboro Public Library.
"And with this site we can share the richness of this
historical event in our community with the world."
With the click of a mouse, users can hear how the original
four participants planned the sit-ins. Another click will
take you to the voice of Clarence "Curly" Harris,
the manager of Woolworth's.
Users can also hear the mayor of the time, George Roach,
talk about how the city avoided violent incidents, such as
those in Birmingham, Ala.
Several other features will give users a feel for the era
and the significance of the sit-ins:
- A timeline, complete with historic photos.
- Historical photos and stories from the News & Record
archives, with a photo from the first day of the sit-ins.
- A look at what the Greensboro Public Library has to offer
on the subject at their branches.
- An electronic bulletin board, where visitors can write
what they think - or, for many, remember - about the sit-ins
and where they can see what other people said.
- Extensive links to other civil rights and black history
sites, including the NAACP and the National Civil Rights
Museum.
Users will find the site especially informative because of
the way it is organized. A click on a section, such as "Key
Players," will take you to a list of who was involved
at the time from colleges. Click on a name and the bio - along
with a list of relevant audio clips - will appear.
Jim Schlosser
Teresa Prout
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