Cherrydale in Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Cherrydale Drug Fair Sit-In
At 2:30 pm on June 9, 1960, the first day of lunch-counter protests in Northern Virginia, six individuals from Howard and Duke Universities helped challenge discrimination at commercial eating establishments in the state by beginning a lunch-counter sit-in at the Cherrydale Drug Fair once located here, 3815 Lee Highway. They were:
• Charles Cobb
• Ethelene Crockett
• Dion Diamond
• David Hartsough
• Laurence Henry
• Joan Trumpauer
The six were joined at 3:00 pm by a worker at the Drug Fair:
• Joseph Wooten
The seven maintained their vigil until the store closed at 10:00 pm, facing down a counter-demonstration and taunts by members of the American Nazi Party. The sit-inners were encouraged by some on-lookers but endured verbal and physical abuse from others. The action of these seven helped bring about the desegregation of lunch counters throughout Arlington and contributed ultimately to the passage by Congress of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Erected 2018 by The Cherrydale Citizens Association.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights
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Location. 38° 53.802′ N, 77° 6.413′ W. Marker is in Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Cherrydale. Marker is on Langston Boulevard (Route 29) just east of North Pollard Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3815 Lee Hwy, Arlington VA 22207, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cherrydale Masonic Hall (a few steps from this marker); Cherrydale Volunteer Firehouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Cherrydale & Maywood (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cherrydale (approx. 0.2 miles away); Taking Action: Michael Jones, Gloria Thompson, Ronald Deskins, Lance Newman (approx. 0.3 miles away); Taking Action: E. Leslie Hamm, Jr. (approx. 0.3 miles away); Taking Action: Barbara Johns (approx. 0.3 miles away); Take Action! (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 9, 2022
2. 3185 Lee Highway, a hair salon on the date of the photo
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 375 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 9, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
