Why did this happen…..we should not get treated this way.Why do the police treat us this way? I want to live like a white woman? All these thoughts race through my head as I sit in the pews of First Baptist Saints Church at my dad’s funeral. A white police officer disfigured his face with a brutal beating that called him to his death. For sitting at a white table at a diner instead of the negro table.

*                    *                     *

My name is Louise Parker and I am a 18- year old girl from Tuskegee, Alabama. I tragically face the horrors of segregation. I live with my mom and now just me, since my father’s passing one month ago. My best friend is Josephine Carter, or J for short who just turned  19 years old and lives with her grandmother, a 75-year-old, skinny, brittle, and somewhat mental challenged women. With j’s mother out of the picture since birth, nothing tied us to Alabama. So my mom decided to move us to Greensboro, North Carolina in 1959 with J by our side

In 1960, we attend the Agricultural and Technical College with our fellow friends: David Richmond and Ezell Blair Jr.

“What have y’all been up to” spoke Josephine

“The sit in starts today” David spoke nervously

“Y’all know today we have that crazy math test only the negroes have to take to pass the class? I can’t believe Mrs. Rose. Sometimes I wish I was a white woman, they have so much freedom!” I announced.

“ Don’t ever say you want to be a white women again. You think Martin Luther King did all this for you to want to be somebody you aren’t…. listen enough of all that, today is the day we sit at Woolworth’s lunch counter.” Proclaimed Ezell.

“ Guys I’m really scared. We could go to jail or even worse we could get beaten to death like my dad was” I spoke.

“We have to do this for the negros, you have to do this for your dad. For yourself,  Louise.” Josephine spoke.

“You right let me call me mom and we can head there now” I spoke.

*                *               *

“What are you negros doing here? This is a all white diner… You need to leave.We will not serve you. You’re not allowed here.” Harold Smith spoke angrily

I do not think I can do this. I do not want to be killed today, they do not like us. Look at them they look at us like we are some monsters even the white little kids are laughing and pointing fingers. All these thoughts race in my head but I can not let my friends see my doubts lets do this I told myself.

“You ready, guys? Let’s sit and get this done.” I spoke

“Listen, this is a non violent protest. We don’t fight back, or say anything cruel:we are  simply here to let them hear us without us even speaking. The most important thing is to not retaliate.” Proclaimed David

*      *     *

“ Honey we should go.. I can’t eat here with these niggers here. They’re ruining my appetite”  some white lady spoke in the distance.

“ We are not going to let these four black niggers run us out of this restaurant. THEY NEED TO LEAVE AND LEAVE NOW go on Harold tell em kick them out” John  a local librarian spoke

“ Listen here, I am about to call the police. You’re ruining my restaurant you can not be here” spoke Harold who was the owner of Woolworth’s lunch counter”

The police soon arrived but they did not stop those people for beating us and spitting on us like we are nothing they pushed us to the ground, kicked us, almost beat my friends and I to the core, and we still said nothing. All we could do was protect ourselves from the blows that came in contact with our bodies somewhat saving ourselves from more pain. But we did it from 6pm all the way to closing.

*     *     *

“ Oh my goodness! Y’all we are on the news. Look at us. This is bigger than the election  of the President John F Kennedy. But they wrong for not getting my good side on that camera.” Josephine spoke

“ I heard that this protest went well and more students from the school want to join tomorrow guys we did it. We made a movement.” I shouted. I tried to jump up and down with joy but my legs were so bruised up.

“ This is how our voices will be heard. This is what we did for our community and especially for Bruce Boynton.” Exclaimed Ezell

“I heard that now that the media brought increasing attention to the civil rights movement for the segregation movement. And other cities are getting in it too, I heard we did it. I’m seeing we did it.”I spoke

Bibliography

Americanhistory.si.edu. (2019). Woolworth’s Lunch Counter – Separate Is Not Equal. [online] Available at: https://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/6-legacy/freedom-struggle-2.html [Accessed 18 Oct. 2004].

HISTORY. (2019). Greensboro Sit-In. [online] Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in [Accessed 21 May 2011].

National Museum of American History. (2019). Greensboro Lunch Counter. [online] Available at: https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/greensboro-lunch-counter [Accessed 18 Apr. 2019].

Pearson, T. (2019). What Happened in 1960 inc. Pop Culture, Prices Significant Events, Key Technology and Inventions. [online] Thepeoplehistory.com. Available at: http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1960.html [Accessed 30 Aug. 2014

Sitinmovement.org. (2019). The Greensboro Chronology | International Civil Rights Center & Museum. [online] Available at: https://www.sitinmovement.org/history/greensboro-chronology.asp [Accessed 14 Feb. 1999].