Senator Frist's Remarks on African American History February 9th, 2005 On the afternoon of February 1st, 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina, four college freshmen from North Carolina A&T University changed the course of history. In an act of remarkable bravery, the four teens strode into the downtown Woolworth and sat at the ’whites only" lunch counter. They ordered soda, coffee, and donuts. And, as they expected, the store refused to serve them. The young men waited in their seats until closing time. They didn‘t know if they would be beaten or arrested. But they did know right and wrong, and that segregation was an intolerable injustice. The next day, the four young men returned with two classmates. Again, they attempted to order lunch. Again, the store refused. Each day, more and more students joined the Greensboro Four, including white students from nearby colleges. By the end of the week, nearly all of the 65 seats at the lunch counter were filled. Eventually, hundred of sympathizers filled the Greensboro‘s downtown streets. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was already leading protests in other parts of the South against segregation in schools and on buses. But challenging the segregationist practices of privately owned businesses was new. These four young men had opened a new front on the battle for civil rights. In the next weeks and months, the sit-ins spread to department stores, clothing shops, and restaurants. In Raleigh, Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta and dozens of other cities throughout the South, thousands of students and civil rights advocates staged sit-ins at businesses that discriminated. Many of the participants suffered arrest, heckling and violence. But these brave citizens were determined to end the scourge of segregation. By April of that year, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was born. The legendary organization led sit ins around the country. Then, on July 25th, 1960, Woolworth desegregated its lunch counters. By August of 1961, over 70,000 Americans had taken part in the sit-ins. 3,000 were arrested in the act. Finally, in 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act which outlawed segregation in public accommodations forever. A section of the Woolworth lunch counter can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution here in Washington. The counter, four stools and a sign advertising 29 cent banana splits, sits in a place of honor on the first floor of the National Museum of American History. As we celebrate African American history this month, we reflect on this and the many events, large and small, that shaped our country. From slavery to segregation, we remember that America did not always live up to its ideals. In fact, we often fell far short of them. But we also learn that fundamental to our national character is the drive to ’live out the true meaning of our creed." In the 108th Congress, we passed the African American Museum of History and Culture Act to establish a national repository for this great history. The new museum will house priceless artifacts, documents, and recordings. It will bring to life the vibrant cultural contributions African Americans have made to every facet of American life. Visitors from around the world will learn about four hundred years of struggle and progress. They will learn that the capital itself owes its completion to America‘s first black man of science, Benjamin Bannaker, who reconstructed the city‘s layout from memory after Pierre L‘Enfant quit the project. The new museum‘s council, which includes many of America‘s most prominent men and women in business, entertainment, and academia, will meet early this year to begin the hard work of selecting a site for the museum, hiring a director, building a collection, and raising funds. From blood banking to the modern subway, from jazz to social justice, the contributions of African-Americans have shaped, molded, and influenced our national culture, and our national character. The African-American experience is one of the most important threads in the American tapestry. The National Museum of African-American History and Culture promises to become one of our nation‘s most prominent cultural landmarks.

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