Meditation Monday - Sitting Down for Justice

February 1960 was a pivotal month in the modern civil rights movement. Yet it is often overlooked, because it is not associated with a major campaign led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Instead it started on February 1 when four African American college freshmen at North Carolina A&T decided to sit-in to be served at a segregated lunch counter at the Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC. Although they were not served due to the racist policy that was common throughout the South, their witness spread to other cities where college and high school students participated in similar sit-ins. In Nashville, TN students from four local schools led sit-ins that resulted in desegregated lunch counters in that city by the end of the month. The Nashville sit-ins were also notable because of the leadership of several people who continued to give leadership to the national civil rights movement including John Lewis, Diane Nash, and James Lawson. The video posted below is a brief summary of the Nashville sit-in movement that emphasizes their commitment to training and practice of non-violence as the key to the success of the sit-ins. This is a powerful witness to living the way of Jesus in the face of hate and violence. As we continue to face and deal with the ongoing legacy of racism in our time, the witness of these young people reminds us that it is possible to confront injustice and advocate for justice with a spirit of love.