The Medallion, Volume 47, Number 1-2, January/February 2010 Page: 2
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Monumental Change
Marker Commemorates Houston's First Sit-In, Dismantling of SegregationEach year, journalism
professor Dr. Serbino
Sandifer-Walker takes her
students across Texas
Southern University's
(TSU) campus to the
site where segregation
in Houston began to
crumble. A flagpole
was designated as the
gathering place for 13
African American students
who, on March 4, 1960,
marched to Weingarten's
Supermarket lunch
counter, where they sat
quietly in protest while being
refused service.
Holly Hogrobrooks was one of
the students who participated in the
event now referred to as Houston's
first sit-in, the subject of the Texas
Historical Commission's (THC)
newest Undertold Stories historical
marker. She recalls the group slowly
gathering numbers and momentum
as they marched down Wheeler
Street during the 45-minute trek
to Weingarten's.
"By the time we got there, we
had a full group for a demonstration
- we filled all those counter
stools," Hogrobrooks said. "There
wasn't too much tension in the
air, but policemen were there, and
some scruffy-looking white boys
were standing around. Years later,
I realized they probably didn't have
positive intentions running through
their heads."
Hogrobrooks added that the
sit-in ended without incident,
and the students regrouped the
following day to plan similar events
at the lunch counters of nearby
drugstores Mading's, Walgreens
and Woolworth's. The group, which
had officially organized as the1
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drew increased attention to its
efforts, eventually leading to
higher-profile demonstrations and
growing support for desegregation
throughout Houston.
"After the sit-ins, we were able
to sit in these types of restaurants,"
Hogrobrooks said. "It became
apparent that there wasn't a need
for segregation because the most
important thing was a person's
ability to pay for a service - that
was the deciding factor if they
could participate. Before, it had
always been based on the color of
their skin."
Sandifer-Walker, a Houston
native, became particularly intrigued
by the story. While researching
and writing the historical marker's
narrative, she met many of the
original participants and shared
their stories with her students,
who helped produce several related
multimedia projects. In the process,
Sandifer-Walker was inspired by the
students of 1960, who understood
the legal system and organized
efforts that would eventually
dismantle segregation."This is not just a
story about black students
protesting, it's an American
story," she said. "It's looking
at the constitutionality of
equality and embracing what
it is to be an American.
This story reminded me
what a beautiful country
we live in, with our ideals
of justice and equality,
courage and tenacity -
anyone can accomplish
something monumental."
Sandifer-Walker was
surprised to find manypeople - particularly TSU students
and Houston's young adults - were
unfamiliar with the "truly undertold
story" of the city's first sit-in, and
she enthusiastically incorporated
its inspirational message into her
classroom. She enlisted students'
help in developing a documentary,
"Silencing Houston's Jim Crow
Laws," and a web site (www.
houstonstudentmovement.com),
which preserve the legacy of
Houston's "freedom fighters" in
compelling formats easily accessible
to the public.
Sandifer-Walker brings the story
to life each semester by recreating
the March 4, 1960 event. She
takes her students to the site of the
flagpole (now a grass-filled plaza),
then to the nearby YMCA building
where strategy sessions were held
in the "war room" and finally along
the same path the students took to
Weingarten's 50 years ago.
On the way, she shares the
history behind the movement,
beginning with the events and people
that prompted the TSU students into
action. One of the most significant
inspirations was a sit-in on Feb. 1,
1960, at a segregated lunch counterTEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
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Texas Historical Commission. The Medallion, Volume 47, Number 1-2, January/February 2010, periodical, January 2010; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth308999/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.