Existing comment:
Nashville, Tenn. / Feb. 13, 1960:
Nashville's black college students launched their own protests at downtown lunch counters on Feb 13, 1960. Two weeks later, violence broke out. White mobs attacked the protesters, punching and kicking them and drenching them in mustard and ketchup. Police arrested and jailed the protesters, but not their attackers. New waves of students came to take their place. The turning point came on April 19, when the home of a prominent black lawyer was destroyed by dynamite. Thousands of students and supporters marched to City Hall, where 21-year-old student leader Diane Nash asked the mayor to publicly concede that segregation was wrong. On May 10, Nashville became the first major Southern city to begin desegregating its public facilities. But the struggle was far from over. |