Dockum Drug Store sit-in facts for kids

The Dockum Drug Store sit-in was an important protest in the Civil Rights Movement. It happened in Wichita, Kansas, in 1958. This event was one of the first organized sit-ins at a lunch counter in the United States. Its goal was to end racial segregation, which meant keeping people of different races separate.

The protest started on July 19, 1958, at a Dockum Drug Store in downtown Wichita. This store was part of the Rexall chain. Protesters would sit at the lunch counter all day. They stayed until the store closed, even when people tried to bother them. The sit-in lasted for three weeks. Finally, the store owner agreed to serve all customers, no matter their race. This sit-in was very important because it happened before the more famous 1960 Greensboro sit-ins.

Starting the Protest in Wichita

Twenty-year-old Ron Walters led the protest in Wichita. He was the president of the local NAACP Youth Council. His nineteen-year-old cousin, Carol Parks-Hahn, helped him. She was the treasurer of the council. At that time, Wichita was a city of over 150,000 people. About 10,000 of them were Black.

Life in Segregated Wichita

In the late 1950s, Wichita had a lot of segregation. Schools were separated by race up to high school. Black people were not allowed in many public places. Ron Walters once went to a Woolworth's store for lunch. They would only sell Black customers bagged lunches from one end of the counter. Walters felt sad and angry seeing white people sitting freely at the counter. He felt like his dignity was taken away.

Planning the Sit-in

Walters and Parks-Hahn wanted to fight against this unfair practice. They met with Frank Williams, a lawyer from the NAACP. Williams told them about a sit-in at a California college. Students there ended segregation at a campus restaurant by sitting and reading newspapers all day. This idea inspired Walters and Parks-Hahn. They also looked at other protests like the Little Rock Nine and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Walters and Parks-Hahn planned with Chester Lewis, a young NAACP lawyer. They chose Dockum Drug Store because it was a downtown store with a "whites only" lunch counter. Walters said Wichita felt like "Mississippi up north" because of how segregated it was. Parks-Hahn remembered that Black customers at Dockum could only get food in disposable containers. They were never served with glasses or dishes.

Practicing for the Protest

The group knew their protest would get a lot of attention. So, Walters and Parks-Hahn practiced in the basement of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church. They pretended to be white people who would tease or embarrass them. Other students practiced being polite and calm. Walters believed their actions would work because they were doing what was right.

Getting Support

At first, the national NAACP youth secretary, Herbert Wright, sent a message. He said the sit-in was not an NAACP plan. He also said they would not get legal help from the NAACP. Later, it was found that the national NAACP preferred a different type of protest.

Despite this, Chester Lewis tried to get help from the adult NAACP group in Wichita. They did not join the sit-in directly. However, the adult board supported the young people's plan. They helped the students practice and drove them to and from the protest.

The Protest Begins

On July 19, 1958, ten well-dressed and polite students entered Dockum Drug Store. They sat one by one until all the lunch counter seats were full. They wanted to order food. Among the twenty participants were Parks-Hahn, Walters, Daisy Blue, and Galyn Vesey.

First Day at the Counter

Parks-Hahn ordered a Coca-Cola. The waitress served it but then pulled it back. She realized that "store policy was not to serve colored people." The students told the waitress they would stay until they were served like everyone else. After a few hours, a waitress closed the "blacks only" fountain. Only the "whites only" fountain stayed open.

A few days later, the students returned. They sat for an hour without service. A waitress made a phone call, and a white man appeared. He asked what the students wanted. They repeated that they would stay until they were served. The man then went back to his office.

Growing Support and Challenges

By the second week, the students felt they were making progress. They sat at the counters for long periods without service. This meant the store was losing money. Sometimes, white customers would see the students and the empty stools. They would understand what was happening and leave, which helped the boycott.

News of the sit-in spread in Wichita. The store started to fill with curious people and shoppers. Walters remembered being interviewed by radio and newspaper reporters. But these reporters never came back to follow up on the story.

Along with shoppers, some hostile people came to the store. They would tease and threaten the students. Walters worried when a group of 15 to 20 tough white men gathered. He was especially concerned for the two young women at the counter. One student called the police. The police arrived 15 minutes later. They looked around but said there were no problems. The manager begged the police to act, fearing his store would be damaged. But the police said they wanted to stay out of the event.

Despite the constant teasing and threats, the students kept coming back every day. The protest became popular among young people. Students from Wichita University also started to support them.

For three weeks, students aged fifteen to twenty-two sat politely and quietly. They endured taunts and threats from white customers. The local daily newspapers did not print anything about the sit-in. They wanted to avoid giving it publicity. However, local Black-owned newspapers reported on the protest. The local NAACP chapter gave moral support and advice. But they did not join the student-led effort because they did not officially support sit-ins at that time.

Success and Lasting Impact

After three weeks, on August 11, the manager of the Dockum Drug Store finally gave in. He said, "Serve them — I'm losing too much money." Chester Lewis called Walter Heiger, the vice president of the Dockum drugstore chain. Heiger confirmed the new policy of integration. He then told all his stores to serve everyone, no matter their race.

The students received praise from their community. Even Herbert Wright, who had said the NAACP would not support them, visited Wichita. He praised the students for their achievements. The students then targeted other drugstore lunch counters. These later sit-ins were much shorter. The stores quickly understood the financial harm the protests caused.

Historian Gretchen Eick said the Dockum Drug Store sit-in "set a precedent." This meant it showed a new way to protest that would change how businesses operated in the United States. In the end, all Dockum locations in Kansas became desegregated.

In 1998, a 20-foot-long bronze sculpture was made to remember this successful sit-in. It cost $3 million and shows a lunch counter with people depicting the protest.