This counter sit-in changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement. As the test case for the “bail no jail” strategy, this is one of the most significant moments of the movement. On January 31st, 1961, in the tiny town of Rock Hill SC, the men who would become known as the Friendship 9 walked across town from their college and sat down at a whites only lunch counter. They were arrested, went to jail, and did not opt for bail. They spent 30 days in a South Carolina prison doing hard labor.  The national news picked up their story – and the movement would go on to successfully use the new strategy, eventually leading to the passing of the Civil Rights Act. It’s an untold American story of unsung small town heroes who changed the world.

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