A Part of History: NVP Augusta Thomas Recalls her Involvement in the Civil Rights Sit-InsJanuary 13, 2010By AFGE Communications Department Many Americans look forward to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK) because it means we get a three day weekend–a little reprieve from the office in the post-holiday January doldrums. But we must never forget the true meaning of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in that we should reflect on all that Dr. King stood for and remember and celebrate the courage and audacity of those who fought for civil rights.
This week, the AFL-CIO will hold its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration activities in Greensboro, NC, for five days of activities, including community service projects, a jobs town hall meeting and workshops and commemoration of the 50th anniversary of one of the most important demonstrations in the civil rights movement, of which AFGE National Vice President for Women and Fair Practices Augusta Y. Thomas participated. AFGE Communications Intern Courtney Johnson interviewed NVP Thomas on her experiences with the sit-in, which started in Greensboro on February 1, 1960, and spread throughout the South during the following weeks. . . On February 11, 1960, Augusta Y. Thomas and her sister drove to Louisville, KY, to participate in a sit-in that had started in Greensboro, NC. Thomas and her sister were joined by several other African Americans who lived in Louisville and promptly sat down at the first whites-only counter they could find and be served. “Well, they didn’t like that. So they spit on us and knocked us off our stools. And because me and my sister were so fair skinned and sometimes mistaken for white, we were mocked for supporting the ‘negroes.’” The physical violence against Thomas and her sister was only the beginning. They were eventually arrested and locked up on February 14 for more than five hours. That did not deter them. As soon as they were released, Thomas and her sister went back to that same counter on February 15 and sat back down. Although they were spat on, kicked and knocked off the stools for a second day, Thomas and her sister never said anything to their attackers. They knew that it was better to say nothing at all because “when you do say something, the violence will only get worse.” On the 16th of February, they got locked up again. Upon release, Thomas called her father who said she needed to come home to take care of her family. At the time, Thomas had six children and her sister had three. “My father was very supportive of what we were trying to do,” said Thomas. “But he felt that enough was enough. If I had not had six children, I would have remained in Louisville for several days. This cause was greater than me.” When asked what she took away from the experience Thomas replied, “If you persist you will win. You don’t have to be nasty or rude…just keep being persistent and pray.” Thomas felt as though what they were doing would eventually pay off and that the Greensboro sit-ins set an example for the rest of the civil rights movement. “I felt that if we sat long enough then others would understand what we were doing, and eventually the mistreatment would cease. The young men and women in the movement would take turns doing the sit-ins and every evening we would meet at the church to express our feelings about it. It’s something we just did,” Thomas concluded. “It’s like we knew in our hearts that it was something we just had to do.” |
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A Part of History: NVP Augusta Thomas Recalls her Involvement in the Civil Rights Sit-Ins
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