Counter Histories: Rock Hill

Meet the men who stood up for their rights by sitting down at the counter of the Rock Hill, SC Five and Dime. They asked for a cup of coffee and were instead met with violence, police brutality and unjust imprisonment. A small town miles from Charlotte, NC, Rock Hill became a landmark of the Civil Rights Movement, one that too few remember today. Students of Friendship College took on the weight of discrimination under the banner of non-violence and 'Jail No Bail.' The tactic spread across the South, inspiring protesters to no longer fund their own oppression through bonds and fines. The courage of these men ignited a passion and furor that rose into the famed Freedom Rides.