During the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s, public libraries, expected to be accessible by the general public, were just as segregated as the rest of America. “The few public libraries in the South that did provide limited services to blacks often subjected them to experiences that were humiliating,” writes Eberhart in 2018. Thus, African Americans would resort to sit-ins and other peaceful protests to fight for equal access to public places, including public libraries. Support Pan-African Journalism SubscribeTougaloo Nine became the first Mississippi students to stage a sit-in against segregation. The Tougaloo Nine are escorted from the Jackson Public Library in 1961.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 18, 2019 17:03 UTC