On Thursday night, Feb. 4, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners will hold a special meeting in High Point, and the first item on the agenda will be symbolic – the adoption of a resolution honoring the Civil Rights Movement and commemorating both the Greensboro and High Point sit-ins of 1960.
The Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins at the F.W. Woolworth store on South Elm Street are widely regarded as one of the most important starting points of the modern Civil Rights Movement; and they remain central to how that history is told locally and nationally. But the resolution the board plans to adopt Thursday night is intentionally broader – recognizing that the movement quickly spread throughout Guilford County and that High Point played an important role of its own.
For years, there’s been a perception among some High Point residents that their city doesn’t always receive the same level of attention as Greensboro when it comes to county government. (Think back to the massive blowup between High Point and the county when it came to funding High Point’s downtown baseball stadium.)
Holding a commissioners meeting in High Point once every couple of years is one way the board has tried to reinforce that High Point is a full partner in county affairs.
Former High Point area Guilford County Commissioner Bill Bencini often described High Point as the “red-headed stepchild” of Guilford County government, a phrase that still circulates in local political conversations.
Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said the decision to meet in High Point this month was about maintaining a long-standing practice.
“We try to do it every year but last year we didn’t so we wanted to go ahead and do it now,” Alston said.
When asked by the Rhino Times whether he would again allow Vice Chair Carlvena Foster – who represents many High Point residents – to preside over the meeting, Alston said he would.
“Absolutely,” he said.
The resolution places Guilford County’s civil rights history within a national framework, stating that the Civil Rights Movement was “one of the most transformative periods in American history, marked by the courageous efforts of ordinary citizens who demanded justice, equality, and full citizenship for African Americans through nonviolent action.”
It also emphasizes that the movement wasn’t driven solely by famous leaders, noting that “hidden figures throughout North Carolina played a pivotal role in advancing the Civil Rights Movement,” particularly students and community members who challenged segregation in public accommodations.
The resolution recounts the now-famous events of Feb. 1, 1960, when “four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University … launched the historic Greensboro sit-ins at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, igniting a youth-led movement that rapidly spread across the South and the nation.”
Those four students – Ezell Blair Jr., now known as Jibreel Khazan, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain and David Richmond – quietly took seats at a whites-only lunch counter and refused to leave when denied service.
Their protest was calm, deliberate and disciplined, but its impact was explosive.
According to the resolution, the Greensboro sit-ins “demonstrated the power of disciplined, nonviolent protest” and “directly contributed to the desegregation of lunch counters, retail establishments, and public spaces.”
Within days, students from A&T and Bennett College were joined by high school students, clergy and community members, and within weeks similar protests were taking place in cities across the South.
The movement that began in Greensboro quickly grew beyond lunch counters. Sit-ins were followed by pickets, boycotts and mass meetings, many organized through local churches. The sustained pressure forced businesses to confront the economic cost of segregation and helped accelerate national momentum toward civil rights legislation.
The new resolution makes clear that Greensboro’s role is foundational and undisputed. But it also stresses that the movement didn’t remain confined to one city.
“On February 11, 1960, the City of High Point also emerged as a vital site of civil rights activism,” the resolution states, describing how “26 William Penn High School students, who were inspired by the A&T Greensboro Four, staged a sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter.”
As in Greensboro, the High Point protests expanded beyond a single event. The resolution notes that clergy and local residents “organized and participated in sit-ins, marches, and boycotts to confront segregation and secure equal access to public accommodations and employment opportunities.”
Those efforts, the board says, mirrored what was happening in Greensboro. The High Point actions “reflected the same courage, resilience, and moral clarity that defined the broader Civil Rights Movement,” reinforcing that the struggle for justice was shared across Guilford County rather than isolated in one city.
In both Greensboro and High Point, young people were at the center of the movement. Students placed themselves in harm’s way, facing verbal abuse, intimidation and arrest, while maintaining a commitment to nonviolent protest.
Faith leaders, educators and community organizers provided structure and support, helping to sustain the movement as it grew.
The resolution credits those local leaders – stating that the sacrifices and leadership of students, faith leaders, educators and community advocates “laid a foundation for lasting social change and continue to inspire ongoing efforts to advance equity, inclusion, and civil rights for all people.”
The County Commissioners are expected to adopt the resolution unanimously, reflecting a shared recognition of Guilford County’s unique place in civil rights history.
In its closing language, the board formally declares that it “celebrates the Civil Rights Movement and proudly honors the historic sit-ins that occurred in Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina, acknowledging their profound local and national impact.”
The resolution also looks forward, reaffirming the county’s commitment to “preserving this history, educating future generations, and continuing the work of building communities rooted in fairness, respect, and opportunity for all.”
