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C H AT TA N O O G A
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P A G E
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C A U S E
W O R T H Y
A
F O R
D O W N
S I T T I N G
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W I N T E R
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continued on page 24
P A G E
Billy Edwards: “We didn’t want any adults
involved. This was a student movement. We
knew if we involved any adults, they would
Former Chattanooga Mayor Gene
Roberts was 28 in 1960, and worked as
assistant to Mayor P.R. Olgiati from 1959
to 1963. “I think people were stunned (by
the sit-ins). I don’t think the people
behind the counter knew what to do. No
one was served, words were exchanged,
the police were called, and that particular
incident ended without any real trouble.
I think people thought it was probably a
one-time thing.”
However, as school ended on Monday,
more than 200 Howard High School
students returned to the lunch counters at
Kress’s, Woolworth’s and McClellan’s to
continue what the seniors had started.
In addition, white students from across the
area showed up to see what was going on.
•
What made Chattanooga’s movement
unique was that it was organized entirely
by high school students, as opposed to
college students or adults in other areas.
On Friday, the students were handed slips
of paper that said “Sit In Today” along
with a mimeographed sheet of rules that
advised the students to be orderly and on
best behavior, refrain from profanity,
make small purchases if possible.
to realize this was a complete surprise
to the city. They had no way of knowing
that this was coming so they had no
organized retaliation. But by Monday,
resistance had formulated.”
C A U S E
Virgil Roberson, retired coach and
educator, was 17 in 1960 and captain of
Howard High School’s football team: “I think
we just felt it was time for a change. You
were raised not to be disrespectful, but you
were beginning to start thinking for yourself.
So when this thing came up about the sit-ins
in other places, we began thinking to
ourselves, we need to change things here in
Chattanooga, we’re tired of this.”
W O R T H Y
Downtown Chattanooga was no exception—customers
entered Kress’s from its front entrance in the 800 block of
Market Street next to Loveman’s department store, or through
its rear entrance on Cherry Street. A long lunch counter
reserved for white customers only anchored one side of the
store. On the opposite side, three or four small tables and a
short counter made up the ‘colored’ section of the restaurant.
Black customers could place their order at the long counter, but
then carried their food to the colored section to eat.
Caption
Roland Carter, composer and professor
emeritus at the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga, was a member of the Howard
class of 1960: “Kress’s and Woolworth’s
were stores that we as the black community
frequented in the city. Yet within these stores,
there in public within public view, you have
these counters, and if you can go in there
and buy things, then why should you not be
able to go in there and have a meal?”
Classmate Booker T. Scruggs II, now UTC
professor and founder of Upward Bound:
“Sure, there were places we couldn’t go. We
couldn’t go to Warner Park, we had separate
movie theatres, then when a movie theatre
did open up on Main Street (for both races),
blacks had to sit in the balcony and whites
got to sit downstairs. So when you encounter
these situations, it gives you a selfperception that something is wrong with
you—that you can’t go where others are
going, or participate in things that others are
participating in. And you begin to think,
A
CROSS MAIN STREET
AMERICA, VARIETY STORES OR
FIVE-AND-DIMES PROVIDED
CUSTOMERS WITH ANY
ASSORTMENT OF WARES THEY
MIGHT NEED, FROM PENNY
CANDY AND DRESS PATTERNS
TO TOOLS AND COVERALLS.
In the back of these stores,
luncheonette counters served
up BLTs and lemon pie, cherry
Cokes and coffee by the cup.
F O R
A
STORY compiled by Adrienne Foley
PHOTOGRAPHY by Max McKenzie and courtesy of the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennial Library
D O W N
itting
Down
for a
While black and white customers alike what do I need to do to get the perks that tell us not to do this. We were assigned to
were welcome to shop in the store, only everyone else is getting? Do I need to fight? different stores. We were to be very orderly.
white customers were permitted to dine at Protest? Get a better education? What do I We just kind of wandered in Kress’s like we
the luncheonette. “They’re going to take need to do?”
always do. I mean, this was a no-no.
your money, now,” says Dorothy Jones,
Billy Edwards, Howard class of 1961, Everybody knows you don’t go into a white
80, who worked at the Kress’s lunch retired from TVA: “We knew we couldn’t do place and try to be served. Once we got
counter at the time of the sit-ins. “Money those things (i.e. eat at the lunch counter) there it was a little unnerving to walk up to
don’t have no color but green. No one ever but then to have someone tell you ‘No, we’re that counter and sit down and see the looks
said, ‘You’re black and you can’t buy here. not going to serve you,’ it just made your on everybody’s faces...you know, what are
They welcomed our business. You just blood boil. Even though this was a way of you doing here? I think it was unnerving for
couldn’t have a meal there.” But this all life, you knew it was just something you them as well as for us. All the waitresses
was about to change.
went and got their supervisors and they
were not going to accept.”
On February 19, 1960, 12
closed that place down so
honor students from Howard
quick it wasn’t even funny. By
High School went downtown
the time we went into
after school to take stools at
McClellan’s, we were able to
whites-only lunch counters.
be seated and the store never
This was the first sit-in demonclosed. The manager there
stration to take place in
was pretty cool, he kept his
Chattanooga and was organized
store operating and people
entirely by high school students,
just looked at us, very curious
with no adults involved. The
about what we were doing.”
event was recently chronicled in
What started out as
an award-winning documentary
a peaceful demonstration
conceived and directed by then
soon made waves across the
UTC student Brian Cagle and
city. Word of the students’
produced by the Chattanooga
sit-in came across police
Regional History Museum and
radios and law enforcement
Allied Arts of Chattanooga, in
eventually went into the
which noted Chattanoogans—
stores and escorted the
then Howard High School
students away from the counstudents, including Roland Carter,
ters. However, news of the
Billy Edwards, Leamon Pierce,
sit-in appeared in the newsVirgil Roberson and Booker T.
paper, on radio and TV over
Left to right, retired Coach Virgil Roberson, UTC Professor Booker T.
Scruggs—reminisce about their Scruggs and Chattanooga Council Member Leamon Pierce participated the weekend, and caused a
actions that helped pave the way in peaceful student sit-ins during the 1960s.
stir within the community.
for change in Chattanooga.
Virgil Roberson: “You have
S I T T I N G
SWorthy Cause
YEARS LATER, NOTED CHATTANOOGANS REMINISCE ON THEIR ACTIONS
THAT HELPED PAVE THE WAY FOR CHANGE.
continued from page 23
Many white students attempted to occupy
the lunch counters first and prevent the
black students from staging the protests.
The police ordered both groups to clear
the aisles. Meanwhile, business inside
the store continued as usual. Mayor
Olgiati would say, “On Monday, we just
sort of laughed about it. We didn’t know
that both sides were coming downtown
on Tuesday.”
Billy Edwards: “At that time there were
still separate water fountains—you couldn’t
even drink from a water fountain with
“white” on it. There were colored and white
restrooms. That would bother any normal
human being, that you were being treated
as a second-class citizen.”
Chattanooga City Council Member
Leamon Pierce, currently representative for
District 8, was a member of Howard’s class
of 1960: “I had just gotten my first job on
second shift, and I would no doubt be late
going in because of the demonstrations
and on several occasions, my picture might
have appeared in the paper. When I would
get to work, all the bulletin boards would
have my picture on them, I guess to inform
all the other employees as to who I was and
the activities I was involved in. At the time,
to be involved in activities like that, you
were resented from the other side.”
News of the sit-ins continued to
occupy pages of the newspaper, with
photographs of students at the counters,
editorials and letters to the editor. One
editorial read “...it is deeply disappointing
that Negro students have resorted to a
destructive sort of exhibitionism, copying
the ill-advised mob tactics of similar
groups...The owners of private property
have an absolute right to serve or not
serve on whatever basis they so choose.”
Another letter, presumably written by a
Howard student, took a tongue-in-cheek
approach to the situation: “Is it possible
that we have been wrong to believe that
the Negroes of Chattanooga are satisfied,
if not happy, with the place that we have
assigned them? Is it time for us to
therefore bend to their demands for equal
opportunity so that we can no longer be
concerned about their ingratitude for our
favors and kindness?”
Paul Walker, president of Howard’s
Class of 1960 and one of the leaders of
the sit-in, wrote a letter to the editor to
explain the student’s uprising.“...A
country that is free in all respects, and is
based on such ideas, does not deserve
the freedom if they only want certain
Name
Address
City
State
Zip
Eighty-year old Dorothy Jones was a waitress
at the Kress’s lunch counter when students
sat down to be served. “Each generation has
its own cause,” she says.
individuals to enjoy such freedoms. For
all people live in an effort to improve
their conditions.”
Dorothy Jones: “Each generation has
its own cause. These kids knew they didn’t
want to deal with segregation. To them, it
was bad. But us older folks, we had dealt
with that and much worse. But these kids
decided that they weren’t going to accept
it because they felt like they were as good
as anyone else. I think Dr. King had a lot
to do with it. He had come along and
instilled in this generation that they didn’t
have to go through with that, that it was
time for a change.”
Tuesday afternoon, some 300 white
students were assembled on the sidewalks outside Woolworth’s prior to the
arrival of the Howard students. Many
white students owned cars which
enabled them to get downtown after
school before the black students who
rode the buses. But by this afternoon,
not all the counter protesters were
students. Many were over high school
age and had the appearance of young
toughs, looking for trouble, according to
the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.
continued on page 26
Phone
Amount of Contribution $
.00
continued from page 25
W O R T H Y
C A U S E
photos of the events, is available through the
Chattanooga Regional History Museum as an outreach
program for all ages, from school groups to social clubs
to Sunday school classes. The outreach program involves
viewing the documentary, facilitating discussion and
reviewing additional information and anecdotes. For
more information, contact the Chattanooga Regional
History Museum at 423-265-3247.
A
is a documentary film directed by Brian Cagle and
produced by the Chattanooga Regional History Museum.
Funded by a grant from the Allied Arts of Greater
Chattanooga, the 35-minute documentary received
national recognition in 2005 by the American Association
for State and Local History, a national organization
dedicated to state and local history. The film, which
features interviews with participants as well as amazing
F O R
•
Roland Carter: “We weren’t doing this
to make history. I don’t think any of us
had any idea how important this was.
It becomes history after the fact.”
Leamon Pierce: “It did quite a bit not
only on the local level but also across the
nation. It was a great impact on the city
Credits: Excerpts for this article were taken
from original interviews, the documentary
‘No Incident, “No Service: The Chattanooga
Sit-Ins of 1960,” The Chattanooga Times Free
Press and interviews from Talk Radio 102.3.
The documentary video is available for purchase at the Chattanooga Store for $14.05.
6
Six months later, on August 5, 1960,
the downtown lunch counters served
black customers for the first time.
Chattanooga was the first city in
Tennessee to see sit-in demonstrations
and at the forefront of the sit-in movement nationwide.
and it woke up a lot of people.”
Virgil Roberson: “To be honest, I don’t
think I ever, even after they were integrated,
went into any of those stores and had a
meal at the lunch counter. But the whole
point was not just to do it, but having the
right to do it.”
Dorothy Jones: “My generation? My
generation was horrible and I didn’t want
my kids to go through that. When I first
went to work, I barely made $20 a week.
My generation was better than my parents’
and integration made it better for my kids.
I have four granddaughters—an attorney,
an accountant, a buyer for Saks Fifth
Avenue and a physical therapist. I have a
grandson who is in the Air Force. They’ve
been successful because they feel like
they’re equal and that they can do things
as well as anyone else. We’ve come a long
way, that’s for sure, but we’ve still got a fair
piece to go. We’ve improved but we’re not
there yet and we won’t get there in my lifetime. But what Booker and Roland and the
rest of these kids did, it helped pave the
way. And my children helped pave the way
for their children.”
O F
Gene Roberts: “A large group of African
Americans came marching down Market
Street toward 8th, and this other group
was marching from 8th, shouting epithets,
and had the police keeping the two sides
apart, spraying both sides with a pretty
heavy stream of water. That diminished
the spirit of a lot of the folks who were
there, and managed to keep it from escalating into a real tragic event. I think it
would have been a full-fledged riot if
Mayor Olgiati had not taken that action.”
Booker T. Scruggs: “I don’t recall specific
fights, but it was a crowd mentality, a mob
behavior. A lot of people were uncomfortable with this type of behavior and if the
police had not been there, I think it would
have gotten a lot worse.”
Billy Edwards: “It did take away from
our original intent. What we did brought
other people around, those who were
looking for fights, so it did take away from
what we were originally there for.”
Virgil Roberson: “When I look back on it,
we really didn’t have that kind of fear (of
mob scenes). I feared my parents more
than what might happen down there. Of
course, something could have happened,
because we were stepping out into an
area where we had never been before. I’m
more afraid today than I was then, when I
look back on what could have happened.”
Booker T. Scruggs: “And so after a time,
signs were taken down, and there was no
more “colored” this and “white” that. Then
after the signs came down, then people’s
minds and attitudes began to change,
slowly. And eventually you get to where we
are today, because of that.”
Gene Roberts: “Those kids from
Howard—I call them kids, but they’re close
to my age—they really got it started. And
from everything I saw, the conduct of the
young people who initiated this was
totally correct. They didn’t taunt anyone,
they minded their own business. I don’t
think anyone could criticize their conduct
and the way they orchestrated and carried
out that march.”
6
in the South. Later, they would become
synonymous with the civil rights movement and brutal scenes in Birmingham.
But unlike Birmingham, the hoses in
Chattanooga were turned on both black
and white. Miraculously, no one was
hurt. The riot was over.
P A G E
By Wednesday, the crowd was of a
different nature than on previous days.
The honor students of Howard who had
begun the sit-in demonstrations asked
their fellow students not to participate.
Much of the crowd Wednesday was
made up of adults, not students. Many
area students, both black and white, just
showed up to see what would happen.
The sidewalk filled with both groups.
Push led to shove. It was estimated that
over 1000 people filled the streets
around the variety stores. Mayor Olgiati
arrived on the scene along with ample
policemen and firemen. Around 5 p.m.
the hoses were turned on—the first time
that hoses were used to disperse a crowd
THE CHATTANOOGA SIT-INS OF 1960”
D O W N
Virgil Roberson: “Our principal used to
tell us that he caught a lot of flack on our
behalf, and I’m sure our teachers did too.
But we were not violating school policy,
you know. School was out at 3:30 p.m.
and this event was at 4 p.m. As far as
school was concerned, we were off the
clock and on our parents’ clocks.”
Billy Edwards: “My father had talked
with me about stuff like this before, telling
me to stay away from this kind of stuff. I
think lots of employers had told their
employees, ‘you need to keep your kids
out of things like that, you know, with the
subtle threat being that if you can’t control
your kids, then maybe you don’t need to
work here.”
Roland Carter: “After that initial meeting
that Friday, I do recall that many of our
teachers were asked to make sure we got
on the school buses, so that we didn’t go
downtown. I also recall that a couple of
the teachers silently encouraged us, but
of course, they could not be active
participants because of their jobs.”
“NO INCIDENT, NO SERVICE:
S I T T I N G
The Howard students filled every
stool at Woolworth’s. As some students
made their way over to Kress’s, white
students raced them to the lunch
counters, both groups vying for seats.
The contest threatened to turn into a
melee. The store manager cut the lights
and rang the closing bell. Police ordered
everyone to leave the building. A dozen
people were arrested, all of them white
except for one, in what The Chattanooga
Times would call “the most massive
racial clash in the history of
Chattanooga.” By Wednesday, the event
threatened to turn into a full-fledged
race riot, or as one newspaper editor put
it, “not so much a race disturbance as
mass juvenile delinquency.”