On the third floor, I toured the “Spark of Conviction: The Global Human Rights Movement Gallery,
curated by Jill Sevitt, where I came fact-to-face with human rights champions, including a gallery of
stunning, lifelike portraits by Rossin.
But the exhibit that truly “rocked” me was “The Lunch Counter,” a virtual reality, simulation of the 1960
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College sit-in. I stood in line and waited to be seated at “the
lunch counter.” After putting on headphones and closing my eyes, my world was transformed back to the
F.W. Woolworth store where four freshmen were not served but stayed until closing. I heard pounding
and shoving and curse words in my ears. I cringed as I “felt” people banging on my shoulders with fists.
It seemed like it went on for hours, but it lasted all of 90 seconds.
These protests happened all over North Carolina college campuses, which spurred the creation of the
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The students’ bravery in the face of verbal and
physical abuse led to integration in many Woolworth stores, way before the passage of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
The Lunch Counter
“This was the most violently attacked sit-in during 1962 and is the most publicized. A huge
mob gathered with open police support while the three of us sat there for three hours. I was
attacked with fists, brass knuckles and the broken portions of glass sugar containers, and was
burned with cigarettes. I’m covered with blood and we were all covered by salt, sugar, mustard,
and various other things. “
--Coming of Age in Mississippi
My tour ended (as does this article) with a display of photographs from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
assassination at the Lorraine Motel, his funeral procession where he was carried in a wooden box by a
mule and a donkey, and the crushing bombing of four little girls in a church basement. The Center for
Civil and Human Rights, located in downtown Atlanta, is an engaging cultural attraction that connects the
American Civil Rights Movement to today’s global Human Rights Movements. The museum is number
one on my list of must-see historical venues in the country.
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