We reflect on the 60th anniversary of the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-ins and learn about some of its lesser-sung heroes: the women of Bennett College. Our guests are Bennett College President Suzanne Walsh and sit-in participant Dr. Linda Brown. The Chamber's executive vice president for member engagement, Tracy Myers, hosts.
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Today’s host is Tracy Myers, the Executive Vice President for Member Engagement.
1:55 - Tracy welcomes guest Dr. Suzanne Walsh, President of Bennett College, and Dr. Linda Brown, a Bennett alumni who participated in the famous Sit-In movement in July 1960. Tracy asks them to share some information about themselves.
2:52 - Tracy invites Dr. Brown to speak about the book she wrote about her experiences and the role of herself and other women during the Civil Rights movement. Dr. Brown’s accounts of these moments in history are so critical because she worked on laying the foundation to make the sit-ins happen, and experienced the movement happening first-hand.
6:37 - Dr. Brown speaks about how she and other female activists worked behind the scenes to make the sit-ins happen, but that their actions went unnoticed. “The women at Bennett never wanted to take away from the decision of the guys, and one of the reasons it wasn’t talked about, it wasn’t corrected, was that we were looking for solidarity and we didn’t want to appear to the community to be fighting with each other. That would not have done the movement any good.”
7:57 - Tracy asks Dr. Walsh to speak on how she promotes Bennett, tells the school’s story, and emphasizes how Bennett has played a critical role in Greensboro. Dr. Walsh starts by highlighting her favorite statistic from Bennett’s history - that 40% of the student population was arrested during the Sit-Ins, and those Bennett Belles were wholly supported by their university president at that time.
10:22 - Dr. Walsh furthers the discussion into Dr. Brown’s book, as Dr. Brown not only tackles the role of women in the Civil Rights movement but also dives deeply into the role of gender, the expectations of gender, the respectability of women, why and how women are hidden figures of history.
14:27 - Dr. Brown talks about how previous Bennett presidents have advocated for Bennett to be included in the history of the Civil Rights and that their on-going support enabled her to complete her book. Dr. Walsh discusses how a Bennett Belle she visited still has letters and “college mementos” from the time that are now seen as vital pieces of the accurate telling of Bennett’s role in the movement.
17:22 - To wrap up, Tracy asks what it is about the culture of Bennett College that produces students who are unafraid to stand up for their beliefs. The answers, grounded in past experiences and strong educational backgrounds, highlight how that spirit of participation and involvement is strong within the Bennett conversation.
23:02 - To find Dr. Brown’s book, Belles of Liberty: Gender, Bennett College, and the Civil Rights Movement in Greensboro look locally if you’re in Greensboro, search on Amazon, or look via Dr. Brown’s website.
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Interested in Dr. Brown’s book?
Purchase Belles of Liberty: Gender, Bennett College, and the Civil Rights Movement in Greensboro on Amazon.
Be sure to check out Dr. Brown’s website for her writing, events, workshops, and more: www.lindabeatricebrownauthor.com
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Visit the Chamber website at greensboro.org.
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