Woolworth's Lunch-Counter Waitress Story, In my words.

In 1960 there was a protest at the Woolworth’s Lunch-Counter in Greensboro, NC by four young black men who asked to be served. The protest escaladed from four to thousands and went on for six months of negotiations and sit-ins.

Black citizens were allowed to work at the Woolworth Lunch-Counter but were not allowed to sit and be served at the counter. Ganeva Tisdale was one of the black employees working that day the four young men chose to sit at the counter. It was not listed that black citizens could not sit at the counter but was rather known. The four men turned into 28 on the second day, on the third, 60 and on the sixth day there was 1000 demonstrators. The lunch-counter was closed down and reopened two weeks later. The students and Woolworth negotiated for five months until Woolworth announced in July that there would be a change in policy that would allow black citizens to be served at the counter. Geneva Tisdale and two of her co-workers were chosen to be the first to be served at the counter on July 25, 1960. Geneva and her two co-workers were told to come to work that day and bring an extra pair of cloths. At noon the manager told them to change cloths and walk around the store as if they were customers and then proceed to the counter to be served. The employees ate quickly and then went back to work at the counter, knowing reporters would be there soon to capture the story. No one knew it was the employees of the Woolworth Lunch-Counter that were the first African Americans to be served. On October 23, 1993 Woolworth Lunch-Counter was shut down leaving Geneva's dream of retiring and coming back to eat at the counter with her grandchildren always a dream.

Geneva worked at the counter for 42 consecutive years and was shocked when she was told it was closing. Geneva was moved out to work the floor of the store until it was closed in early January of 1994.