lang: en
Summary
In March-April 1960, students at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, staged sit-ins at segregated lunch counters, leading to mass arrests and the expulsion of sixteen students. The campaign shifted to a student strike demanding their reinstatement, but internal disorganization and lack of community support led to its collapse. Although the immediate goals were not achieved, the effort spurred later desegregation of Baton Rouge’s lunch counters by 1963.
Background
Baton Rouge, Louisiana remained fully segregated despite civil rights advances in neighboring states. Inspired by the Greensboro sit-ins, students at Southern University, a black university, formed a protest group to desegregate downtown lunch counters. The university president warned of expulsion, but students proceeded with sit-ins.
What happened
On March 28, 1960, seven students sat in at the Kress lunch counter and were arrested for disturbing the peace, with bail set at $1,500 each; Reverend Jemison raised the funds from students on campus [source: nv-database]. The next day, seven more were arrested at Sitman’s lunch counter and two at the Greyhound bus station, sparking intense anger and excitement among students [source: nv-database]. On March 30, masses of students walked out of class and marched to the state capitol for a prayer meeting and rallying speech by Major Johns [source: nv-database]. That evening, President Clark announced the indefinite suspension of the sixteen students who participated in the sit-ins, which students interpreted as expulsion [source: nv-database]. Classes remained empty on March 31, with speeches every two hours to the student body [source: nv-database]. On April 1, eight of the expelled students announced acceptance of their expulsion and called for an end to the protest, but the next day Marvin Robinson and Major Johns reversed course and renewed the boycott, claiming Clark violated an agreement by expelling another student [source: nv-database]. The Citizens’ Committee declined to support the boycott, leaving many students stranded without bus fare [source: nv-database]. Over the following days, students drifted back to campus; fifteen of the sixteen expelled students sought re-admittance, and twelve were accepted [source: nv-database]. The U.S. [source: nv-database] Supreme Court later overturned the convictions of the sixteen students, and the campaign revived, but downtown lunch counters were not desegregated until 1963 [source: nv-database].
Key people & organizations
- Reverend T. J. Jemison
- Major Johns
- Marvin Robinson
- Felton Clark
- CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)
- Southern University
Tactics used
The campaign used sit-ins to directly challenge segregation, then escalated to a student strike and mass marches after arrests, aiming to pressure the university and city through disruption and moral appeal. [source: nv-database]
Outcome
Verdict: partial.
The immediate demands—desegregation of lunch counters and reversal of expulsions—were not met, scoring 0 out of 6 points for success, but the campaign survived and grew, earning 2 out of 3 points for growth [source: nv-database]. The failure was attributed to poor organization, lack of community support, and shifting goals, yet the effort is credited with inspiring eventual desegregation in 1963 [source: nv-database].
Lessons
- Campaigns should secure community support and communicate plans to allies before launching actions.
- Clear, consistent leadership and goals are essential to maintain momentum and avoid confusion.
- Even a failed campaign can lay the groundwork for future success by inspiring later action.
Sources
- Global Nonviolent Action Database —
[[nv-database]]
Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.
Sources & verification
nv-database— grounding: primary — license: link-only- Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via
worker_casestudies_v2.py