Did the Greensboro Lunch OR any other coastal college or university sit-ins accomplish anything?
I was born in the mid 60's and paid attention to things around me unlike other kids my own age. I was fascinated with the television, paintings, photographs and a voice coming from a little box without pictures, called 'a radio'. What intrigued me more was how people reacted to stuff they saw or heard on these machines that gave us news, things to think about or laugh or cry at or just become mesmerized by . . .
Years went by and separatism, prejudice and racism were words I de-valued more and more because of what I witnessed. I saw how society, people around me, treated people accepting these words and adopting a certain mindset which did just what they should of stopped doing, or being. The people I cared about, respected, even loved defined those words by proving the definitions already holding fast and true, were unchangeable. I fel cold and distant but focused on how it affected us as a 'whole'.
Upon exiting my turbulent adolescent years and venturing into high school, I found I wanted to integrate as much as possible. Maybe even push the envelope to the 'societally-accepted limit'. I did this by rebelling profusely ! More than anything I would lead by starting a revolution. I was part of the first bi-racial coupling in my high school and very proud of it !
Rebelling against my own kind, began dating a boy of color and was warned by my parents I would be ostracized, criticized and left alone by both races as this bi-racial coupling was not meant to be. Well, it was and lasted beautifully throughout four years of high school and ended on a great note: Education was way more important to both of us and after high school we parted ways as friends, still keep in touch today, and went out into the real world only to discover we were both in the thick of 'separatism, prejudice and racism'.
During my freshman year in college, I was taking classes for my baccalaureate degree in psychology and a study of the 60's was to be embellished upon by a phenomenal professor. He was a whiz with words, visual presentations, music introduction and complete student interaction that made learning fun and very interesting.
Dr. T.K. was inspirational in that he was an almost grown-up hippie, a temporary yuppie for a time when tenure was considered and housing was mid to high expensive and the area was just not conducive for love-beads, and a very calm down-to-earth survivor of both good and bad vibes of the peace movement. He taught me alot about symbolism, art appreciation for all mediums and the idea to keep the 'inner self' as precious as possible . . .
We were discussing Ferlinghetti, Dean Moriarity and Betty Fredan when we shifted focus to those sit-ins. You know the ones where bunches of people sit down for hours waiting for something to change in something they are protesting against ?
Yeah, I wish I had been old enough to attend, but alas I was only 2, 3, 4 or 5 at the times any occurred. But picture this scene: It is early morning you are sitting on the campus of either Berkeley or USC or some other famous coastal college or university and you contemplate whether you will contribute to today's sit-in. A gathering of individuals hell-bent on getting a point across for the purpose of changing some existing radical law or rule or standard that just does not co-mingle intimately with the slogan, "make love not war" . . .
So I ask, with besides what I know from reading about these, Did the Greensboro Lunch sit-ins OR any others on either coast accomplish anything? Are we seeing any residual positive effects from any of those today ? (besides the decision on the Brown vs Bd of Education . . . and Plessey vs Ferguson)
'till next time, sharing the light, miss erica hidvegi
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