Sixty-five years ago, a group of brave young Black Richmonders walked into a department store, sat down at a lunch counter, and refused to leave. That’s what they did. That’s what got them arrested. They just sat in a segregated space where their presence alone was considered a crime.
That moment—the Richmond 34 sit-in at Thalhimers—was a crack in the foundation of segregation. Sit-ins were an integral part of the non-violent strategy of civil disobedience, a crucial tool in the arsenal of strategies to end racial segregation in the United States.
Beginning in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, the tactic gained national momentum on February 1, 1960, with the Greensboro Sit-In at a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. This protest launched a wave of anti-segregation sit-ins across the South, bringing national awareness to the depth of segregation in the country. The media widely covered these demonstrations, starting with lunch counters and expanding to other public accommodations, including transport facilities, art galleries, beaches, parks, swimming pools, libraries, and museums throughout the South.
Within a year, Thalhimers and other downtown businesses in Richmond integrated.
And this sustained pressure ultimately contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act 1964, one of the most sweeping legislative measures in American history, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, mandating desegregation in public accommodations.
The Richmond 34: Names We Need to Remember
On February 22, 1960, the following students walked into Thalhimers Department Store, knowing full well what might happen to them:
Leroy M. Bray Jr., Gordon Coleman, Gloria C. Collins, Robert B. Dalton, Joseph E. Ellison, Marise L. Ellison, Wendell T. Foster Jr., Anderson J. Franklin, Woodrow B. Grant, Albert Van Graves Jr., George Wendall Harris Jr., Thalma Y. Hickman, Joanna Hinton, Carolyn Ann Horne, Richard C. Jackson, Elizabeth Patricia Johnson, Ford Tucker Johnson Jr., Milton Johnson, Celia E. Jones, Clarence A. Jones, John J. McCall, Frank George Pinkston, Larry Pridgen, Leotis L. Pryor, Raymond B. Randolph Jr., Samuel T. Shaw, Charles Melvin Sherrod, Virginia G. Simms, Ronald B. Smith, Barbara A. Thornton, Randolph A. Tobias, Donald Vincent-Goode, Patricia A. Washington, and Lois B. White.
Not Just a Tribute—A Responsibility
The Richmond Performing Arts Alliance (RPAA) is working to create a permanent art gallery honoring the Richmond 34, and they need $25,000 to make it happen.
The galleryfeatures commissioned works from local artists, each piece reflecting the weight and urgency of what the Richmond 34 did. Rian Moses-Hedrick is created a digital illustration. Nastassja Swift is worked in felt. Unicia Buster made a quilt—stitching memory into fabric. Alongside their work was a Richmond 34 Flying Squirrels jersey and a copy of House Joint Resolution No. 279, the government’s official “thank you” to the students.
But the real power of this gallery isn’t just in looking back. RPAA wants this to be a living space—one where student artwork rotates in, where young people can engage with this history and see themselves in it. Because the lesson of the Richmond 34 isn’t just about what they did in 1960. It’s about what needs to be done now.
The Richmond 34 sat down for justice. The least we can do is stand up for them now.
To support this project, visit RPAA HERE or email education@rpaalliance.com.
Main photo: Richmond Civil Rights Photograph Collection. The Valentine Museum, Richmond, Virginia. Source HERE
Photos from the RPAA 65th Anniversary Sit In Reception by Tom Topinka
Photos from the Valentine Museum Collection
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