"I'm so nervous about my report on the sit in today ma."I announced. Ma just nodded her head I knew she was busy with something, probably work I guessed, now that my brother was in college, money wise we were just making it by. I know ma says I should be thankful for what I have but how can I??Everyone always comes to school nicely dressed and with clean faces and I come to school with dirty..well everything and I mean everything.Oh I can't belive I forgot to tell you my name it's Henry McNeill!

As I was leaving for school I tried to remember about my speech today during History.We were supposed to write about somebody with thought was a hero.I was writting my brother who you'll learn about later.Getting back to my speech I think Im going to do really good but we only get 5 minutes to talk and there is so much more I want to say.

You probably already know that I go to an all black school because of segregation.As I walked into school I saw alot of students doing their homework in the halls..typical.I also saw Mrs.Wass she gave me a friendly nod that said I would like to say hi but Im really I gave her a nod back that said the same thing. I went to go see what she was doing and what do you know?She was scolding the meanest boys in the 6th grade Mark and Carl Rusty. They were probably fighting or vandilizing school property they were known for pulling pranks on teachers especially Mrs.Wass. I heard Mrs.Wass yelling but I was scared I was going to get caught snooping so I walked into history class and read until Mrs.Wass walked in.

"Let's see who's going first,"said Mrs.Wass with a voice filled with sunshine"Henry McNeill your first so stand up and show the class what you got."

I sweating I was sweating real bad but I thought about my speech and how much it meant to me and some of the black comunity.Even if I did get in trouble for speaking my mind I would atleast feel proud of myself and my brother and his fellow

participents.

• "hey my name is Henry as you all know and Im here to talk about the Greensboro NorthCarolina sit in. I want to talk about this sit-in because my brother was one of the main participents involved in this history changing event. "I said very exicited. Then I started up again,"My brother's name is Joseph McNeill and went to a college called Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro N.C .my brother was refused service at the terminal bus lunch counter. When he went back to his college he was very upset, he told three guys who were his friends and roommates about the problem on his mind. He and the guys talked it over and decided to take action. The next day the guys sat at a Woolsworth lunch counter that didn't serve blacks .They sat there and demanded to be served."

• My teacher Mrs.Wass gave me a sign that said what were the names of the students who helped.I mumbled something and then spoke up"The boy's names who helped my brother were Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, and David Richmond.

• The waitress who was serving other people said the store didn't serve black people. Then the boys showed her a recipent that in fact did show that the Woolsworth did serve African Americans. I think the waitress really meant that the store didn't serve blacks at the lunch counter, because it was segregated."I took a second to think about this I can't belived a grown women lied to my brother, was she that desprate to get rid of active sit-in participents.

• What he was about next disgusted him."While my brother was doing the sit-in people spat on him kicked him and tried to provoke him into violence."I spat with disgust."No sit-in was complete without a couple of rules theirs were dress nealtly,look straight ahead,don't move or budge for anything, and never resort to violence."

• The teacher told him to sit down so another student could go. Henry thought in his mind I bet It's because she thinks its bad to talk about what people have done for racial freedom she probably thinks what my brother did was horrible and stupid.She probably doesn't want to hear the hardships through this Movement.

• Instead of saying anything he sat down not wanting to make his teacher mad.But he thought about the rest of his speech and what he was going to say.Lets see he thought to himself I'd mention that one day while still trying to desegregate the lunch counter on Friday,Febuary 5 1960 300 students of different races helped with the demonstration that demonstration was followed with a big rally with over 1600 people!!That many people at rally amazes me....Still after all that hard work with with rallys and demonstrations the woolsworth store refused to negotitate with the boys!Everyone participating with the sit-in knew they needed to get help so they got parents and grownups to help, they got stores boycotted and when the stores were about to collapse financially the owners of the stores gave in to the protesters.

• That life changing day in July 1960 the woolsworth counter was desgregated. This sit-in showed how a group of kids could make a difference and inspired people all over the South and showed them that In fact they could fight back It also showed them a nonviolent way to fight for racial fredom. **