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Consider This - Civil Rights Museum

By Ted Fortenberry - bio | email

Monday kicked off the start of February and Black History Month. This year marks an event that took place in 1960 in Greensboro, NC, when four black university students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in the Woolworth department store to get something to eat. Although they were denied service, their actions re-ignited the push to achieve racial equality and justice for millions of African Americans.

This week, that former Woolworth department store has been converted into a new international civil rights museum to pay tribute to what happened there 50 years ago this month.

Consider This: When you see the video from those events it is sad to think that these fellow Americans were treated so horrifically because of the color of their skin. Imagine the fear that these four students, and thousands of others who staged future sit-ins, must have felt as they chose to stand up to this discrimination. Thank goodness their bravery was more powerful than their fear.

We have made significant progress over the past 50 years and many would argue we still have a lot of work ahead of us. One thing is for sure: We would not be as far along as we are today if not for the courage of four Greensboro students who played a huge part in initiating this positive change.

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