Woolworth

William Penn, the historic high school for African-American students, built in 1910 in High Point, closed in 1968 and was re-opened in 2003 as an arts magnet high school, Penn-Griffin School for the Arts. On May 22, 2024, the Guilford County Board of Education voted to approve a new name for the school lobby, "February 11 Lobby," to commemorate the William Penn student-led sit-in in 1960. Image courtesy Penn-Griffin School for the Arts .

Race

High Point high schoolers' 1960s sit-ins will be commemorated

David Ford

A student-led sit-in demonstration in 1960 by William Penn high schoolers in High Point is being recognized with the naming of the school's "The February 11 Lobby."

In this Sept. 16, 2016, file photo the F.W. Woolworth's lunch counter is seen at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, N.C. The sit-in by the Greensboro Four caught the attention of nearby High Point high schoolers who staged their own. (AP Photo/Skip Foreman, File)

Race

High Point high schoolers' 1960s sit-ins helped pave the way for integration

David Ford

Lunch counter sit-ins as a form of civil protest began at the Woolworth in downtown Greensboro on February 1, 1960. That event caught the attention of a group of younger students in High Point who wanted to desegregate stores in their community.

Race

NC City To Consider Honoring Sit-In Leader With Street Signs

A North Carolina street in the hometown of a leader of a Greensboro sit-in may be designated in his honor. The StarNews of Wilmington reports the city…

Politics & Government

Backlash After Civil Rights Museum Denies Trump Request

Bethany Chafin

Greensboro's International Civil Rights Museum is receiving backlash after it refused a request last month by the Trump campaign. The museum is standing…