The 1960 Memphis Sit-In Movement

The Sit-In Movement against racial segregation reached Memphis Friday, March 18, 1960 when seven Owen Junior College students sat-in at the lunch counter in McClellan’s Variety Store downtown. The next day, 36 students from LeMoyne College and Owen Junior College left a rally to participate in a sit-in at Cossitt and Peabody public libraries. Law enforcement officials arrested the students, along with five negro journalists. The public facilities-focused sit-ins inspired others to sit-in at city museums and parks, department stores and churches. Urged by Marion Barry, a LeMoyne graduate and national chair of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the resolute efforts of these students were important contributions to the desegregation of Memphis.