Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Pensacola Lunch Counter Sit-Ins
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, November 14, 2017
1. Pensacola Lunch Counter Sit-Ins Marker
Inscription.
Pensacola Lunch Counter Sit-Ins. . This building, once occupied by a Woolworth’s five and dime store, played a role in the struggle for civil rights in Florida. In the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans in segregated communities began sit-ins to protest against “whites only” lunch counters in stores. Members of Pensacola’s NAACP Youth Council, some as young as 12 years old, took their stand against segregation by peacefully occupying lunch counter seats here and elsewhere in the city. Led by Rev. William C. Dobbins and the Pensacola Council of Ministers, the youth were trained in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of non-violence. Confronted by hecklers, they were physically and verbally harassed, and even arrested on falsified charges. The African American community raised bail money and support for the youth through rallies at churches all over Pensacola. The battle to integrate the city’s lunch counters lasted 707 days and involved non-violent tactics such as sit-ins, pickets, marches, and a selective buying campaign or boycott. Downtown stores lost 80% of their business because of the boycott, and lunch counters in the City of Pensacola integrated on March 12, 1962.
This building, once occupied by a Woolworth’s five and dime store, played a role in the struggle for civil rights in Florida. In the 1950s and 1960s, African Americans in segregated communities began sit-ins to protest against “whites only” lunch counters in stores. Members of Pensacola’s NAACP Youth Council, some as young as 12 years old, took their stand against segregation by peacefully occupying lunch counter seats here and elsewhere in the city. Led by Rev. William C. Dobbins and the Pensacola Council of Ministers, the youth were trained in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy of non-violence. Confronted by hecklers, they were physically and verbally harassed, and even arrested on falsified charges. The African American community raised bail money and support for the youth through rallies at churches all over Pensacola. The battle to integrate the city’s lunch counters lasted 707 days and involved non-violent tactics such as sit-ins, pickets, marches, and a selective buying campaign or boycott. Downtown stores lost 80% of their business because of the boycott, and lunch counters in the City of Pensacola integrated on March 12, 1962.
Erected 2014 by The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-841.)
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is March 12, 1962.
Location. 30° 24.761′ N, 87° 12.925′ W. Marker is in Pensacola, Florida, in Escambia County. Marker is at the intersection of South Palafox Street and West Garden Street (Business U.S. 98), on the right when traveling south on South Palafox Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 South Palafox Street, Pensacola FL 32502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 30, 2017. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 813 times since then and 195 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
