‘By sitting down, these students stood up
for equality.’
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
In recognition of the
60th anniversary of the
first sit-in victory in the
state, last weekend hun
dreds gathered in down
town Winston-Salem to
remember the 21 college
students who made his
tory..
Less than a month af
ter students from NC A&T
State University staged
their historic sit-in at a
Woolworth lunch counter
in Greensboro, on Feb.
23, 1960, 11 students from
Winston-Salem Teacher’s
College (now Winston-Sa
lem State University) and
Photo by Tevin Stinson .
Current students from Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University
during a sit-in vigil honoring the 60th annivesary of the local sit-in movemement
started by students from the two univerisites.
10 students from Wake
Forest College (now Wake
Forest University) staged
their own sit-in at a local
lunch counter downtown.
Although the students
were eventually arrested
and charged with trespass
ing, three months later the
courage of those students
led to the desegregation
.of all lunch counters in the
city.
On the day of the vig
il, current students from
both universities came to
gether just as they did 60
years ago. When discuss
ing the historic moment,
WFU president Nathan
Hatch said the same cour
age those students had
Last weekend more than 200 people gathered at the corner of Fourth and Liberty Streets for a vigil honoring the
college students who led a sit-in movement that intergrated lunch counters in Winston-Salem.
in 1960 still resonates
throughout the community
today. Hatch said, “The
world we know today is
better because of the peo
ple who came before us,
particularly these brave
' students.
“By sitting down,
these students stood up for
equality. By banding to
gether, they broke clutches
of injustice, and by taking
action, they changed the
course of the community.
May that courage be what
inspires us and continue
to work towards bettering
this city and community
for all.”
Before presenting a
proclamation to Victor
Johnson, the only living
student from either school
who started the sit-in
movement, WSSU Chan
cellor Elwood Robinson
also shared his thoughts.
Robinson, who grew up
in a small rural North
Carolina town, said he
still remembers the sting
of segregation and those
who were willing to take
a stand against injustice.
Robinson said the courage
those students and others
throughout history have
shown is what motivates
him to keep the fight alive.
“It’s deeply rooted in
our memories, the pain
associated with segrega
tion,” Robinson continued.
“I still remember deep in
my soul and it motivates
me every day.”
After the proclamation
was read, guest speaker
Jonathan L. Walton, dean
ofWFU’s Divinity School,
delivered the keynote ad
dress. Following Walton’s
address, students from two
universities and others in
attendance marched from
the Millennium Center,
located at the corner of
Trade and Fifth Streets, to
the corner of Fourth and
Liberty Street, where the
historic marker honoring
the sit-in victory is located.
Once the crowd of
about 200 arrived at the
marker, the names of the
21 students were called
and current students from
the two universities sat
down in chairs meant to
represent the peaceful pro
testors who changed the
city of Winston-Salem for
ever. The crowd erupted
in applause when Victor
Johnson’s name was called
and he joined the students.
Parkland PTSA honors students with 3.0 GPA
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
It’s no secret that high
school can be challeng
ing. With pressure from
parents, teachers, peers,
and the added pressure of
social media, one could
argue that being a high
school student in today’s
climate is more challeng
ing than ever, which is why
last weekend the Parkland
High School PTSA (Parent
(WILSON
' NcU/
Teacher Student Associa
tion) held a special cere
mony to honor those who
are facing those challenges
head-on.
When discussing the
event, PTSA president
Karisa McDaniel said they
just wanted to do some
thing to honor the students
who are facing the chal
lenges of high school with
grace.
“All of our money and
our hard work is dedicated
to giving back to the chil
dren because maintaining
a 3.0 GPA or higher is hard
to do when you’re in high
school. It’s not easy,” Mc
Daniel said. “You have so
many different programs-
going on. You have chil
dren that are working, kids
that are doing afterschool
curriculum, athletic pro
grams, it’s tough to main
tain that GPA and balance
www.wschronicle.com
all that at one time. So
again, kudos to you all.”
During the celebration
held on Saturday, Feb. 22,
students who are currently
maintaining at least a 3.0
GPA (Grade Point Aver-
' age) were presented with
a certificate marking their
accomplishments. Before
receiving their certificates,
Parkland alumni Deshay-
wn Middleton encouraged
the students to keep up the
good work.
Middleton, who is a
graduate of Norfolk State
University where he was
a standout defensive line-
man before taking his tal
ents to the CFL (Canadian
Football League), encour
aged the students to be
lieve in themselves. Mid
dleton, who is the younger
brother of NFL player
Doug Middleton, also told
the students to take advan-
Photo by Tevin Stinson
Karissa McDaniel, Parkland High School PTSA president, presents a student with
a certificate during a special celebration on Saturay, Feb. 22.
tage of everything Park-
land has to offer.
“One thing I want you
guys to do is believe in
yourself. When you be
lieve in yourself, it goes
a long way and you can
achieve anything you put
your mind to,” Middleton
continued. “I just want you
guys to stay determined,
have perseverance and to
believe in yourself, be
cause I believe in you.”
Following the keynote
address, the students who
were recognized for their
achievements enjoyed
food and music with their
peers and family.