A Brief History of the Sit-In Movement

The Sit-ins and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
In his writings, Martin Luther King Jr. hailed the sit-ins as an "electrifying movement" that "shattered the placid surface of campuses and communities across the South." In the fall of 1960, some of the student leaders, including Julian Bond (fourth from right), one of the founders of the SNCC, persuaded King to join them at a sit-in organized at Rich's, an Atlanta department store. The action resulted in the arrests of King and approximately 300 students.

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