This Day in History

Jan. 1, 1960: Greenville Airport Protest

Time Periods: 1945
Themes: African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship
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We will not make a pretense of being satisfied with the crumbs of citizenship while others enjoy the whole loaf only by right of a whiteskinned birth. — Rev. Matthew D. McCollom of Orangeburg, inside the terminal at the 1960 Greenville Airport Protest.

Greenville Airport Protest 1960

A. J. Whittenburg, fourth from left, and Willie T. Smith Jr., far right, were among those who marched Jan. 1, 1960 at the Greenville Airport Protest.

In Oct. 1959, the South Carolina NAACP held its annual meeting in Greenville.

Invited speaker Jackie Robinson was harassed by the police when he and the couple who picked him up at the airport entered the whites-only airport waiting room. 

Between 900-1,000 people staged a New Year’s Day march to the municipal airport.

In 2017, there were a number of protests at the Greenville Spartanburg Airport against Trump’s policies on immigration, taxes, and more. 

Related Resources
protester holding up signs reading "Economic Justice" and "Reparations Now!"
Teaching Activities (Free)

Repair: Students Design a Reparations Bill

Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca.
In this activity, students take on the role of activist-experts to improve upon a Congressional bill for reparations for Black people. They talk back to Congress’ flimsy legislation and design a more robust alternative.

Articles

A Review of ‘42’: Jackie Robinson’s Bitter Pill

Article. By Dave Zirin. 2013.
Dave Zirin describes how 42 limits the story to a tale of “individual triumph through singular greatness,” ignoring the social movements and broader context of the time.

Books: Non-Fiction

A People’s History of Sports in the United States

Book — Non-fiction. By Dave Zirin. 2009. 302 pages.
U.S. history through the lens of sports.

Films

Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports

Film. By Dave Zirin and Jeremy Earp. 2010. 62 minutes.
A documentary based on the bestselling book A People’s History of Sports in the United States, Zirin demonstrates that American sports have long been at the center of some of the major political debates and struggles of our time. For 6th grade to adult.

Films

Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968

Film. Produced by Judy Richardson and Bestor Cram. 2009. 57 minutes.
A documentary film that brings to light the story of the attack by state police on a demonstration in Orangeburg, South Carolina — leaving three students killed and 28 injured.

This Day in History

March 27, 1867: Staged Ride-ins in South Carolina Streetcars

Staged ride-ins during Reconstruction in South Carolina were among the first (recorded) organized protests of segregation on a streetcar.

Jackie Robinson | Zinn Education Project
This Day in History

July 6, 1944: Lt. Jackie Robinson Refuses to Give Up Seat on Bus

While stationed at Camp Hood in Texas, Lieutenant Jackie Robinson refused to give up his seat on the bus and was court-martialed.

This Day in History

Feb. 1, 1960: The Greensboro Sit-in Begins

Four African-American North Carolina A&T University students began a sit-in protest at a Woolworth’s whites-only lunch counter.

This Day in History

Feb. 6, 1961: “Jail, No Bail” in Rock Hill, South Carolina Sit-Ins

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) sent four volunteers to Rock Hill, South Carolina to sit-in.