Prayer vigil honors 1960 Woolworth sit-in

Jimmy Tomlin, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·2 min read

Feb. 9—HIGH POINT — A prayer vigil commemorating one of High Point's most significant contributions to the civil rights movement will be held Saturday afternoon in downtown High Point.

The February 11th Association, with assistance from the African-American Initiative of the United Way of Greater High Point, will host the annual prayer vigil, which commemorates the historic Woolworth sit-in staged by local high-school students on Feb. 11, 1960.

The vigil will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at the site of the former Woolworth store on Wrenn Street, next to sculptor Thomas Jay Warren's monument commemorating the sit-in, Latoya Bullock of the United Way of Greater High Point said.

"This is a very important event for High Point, because these were the first high-school students in the United States to stage a sit-in and stand up for the rights of African-American citizens," Bullock said. "High Point was one of the leaders for civil rights for African-Americans in this country."

Saturday's ceremony will include a formal proclamation, a series of prayers by local pastors, and the singing of the old freedom song "We Shall Overcome."

On Feb. 11, 1960, 26 High Point high-schoolers and two pastors, the Rev. B. Elton Cox and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, refused to leave the Woolworth lunch counter without being served.

At least one of those students, retired nurse and former High Point City Council member Mary Lou Andrews Blakeney, is expected to be at Saturday's event.

"Our history is not complete without us telling this story, and we must educate our children and grandchildren about it," Blakeney said. "Our experience is a triumph of the human mind and heart, and a demonstration of how all people, regardless of race, learn, grow and work together. We have much to be proud of, and we hope the community will participate in our celebration."

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Latoya Bullock at 336-899-0879 or latoya.bullock@unitedwayhp.org or Joe Barnes at 336-883-1077 or joe.barnes@unitedwayhp.org.

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579