NBC WHITE PAPER: NUMBER 2: SIT-IN (TV)
Summary
One in this series of irregularly scheduled documentaries. This edition, which is hosted by Chet Huntley, chronicles the events that occurred in Nashville, Tennessee, in the early half of 1960, which marked the beginning of sit-ins across the South. Highlights of this program include the following events, among others: the mayor of Nashville, Ben West, comments on the atmosphere of the city, comparing it to Athens; a "Negro" explains his version of Nashville's Athens and points out why something needs to be done about segregation; at Fisk University students have a meeting in which they sing "We Shall Overcome"; a young woman from the meeting comments on the workshops that the students have created in order to prepare themselves for the way they will be treated at sit-ins; on February 13, 1960, the students sit at counters in Woolworth's, Kress, and other establishments that discriminate; students explain the etiquette of behavior at a sit-in and their feelings about the system; one student reads a disturbing letter from his mother; a white woman explains why store owners are justified in refusing to serve the "Negroes"; white men voice their opinions about the sit-ins and the tradition of breaking bread; a young white woman explains why she sides with the "Negroes"; a young white man explains why he and other whites will not change their ways; footage of white opposition demonstrations is shown including mock lynchings; a young divinity student from Nashville explains how he was attacked when he made the decision to march with the "Negroes"; the white man who attacked the divinity student explains his point of view from a jail cell; footage of a sit-in in which a white member of the non-violent protestors is attacked and eighty students are arrested is shown; the officers explain their actions; the mother of two of the jailed students expresses her feelings on the subject; the students comment on their experiences in jail, sing "Day-O," and tell jokes that have come out of the situation in Nashville to keep their spirits up; the judge who found the students guilty of breaking the law explains his decision; footage is shown of the students marching proudly to jail, refusing to pay a fine for their actions; comments are presented on the establishment of a bi-racial citizens' committee, the white citizens' reactions to the "Negroes," and the economic purchasing power of the "Negro" population; four women from a bridge club explain how they got involved in the start of an economic boycott in Nashville; men in a barber shop voice the positive aspects of not purchasing anything downtown; a manager of a business explains how the boycott has effected his store; footage is shown of a young "Negro" and a white man fighting each other; footage of the home of the students' defense attorney -- taken after someone had blown it up with dynamite -- is shown; Mayor West comments on the attempt on the attorney's life and empathizes with the plight of the young "Negro" students; various citizens of Nashville give their opinions on desegregation; and Chet Huntley explains how the events in Nashville have affected the South.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Marc Haas and Helen Hotze Haas Foundation.
Preservation of the Post–World War II American Television Documentary Collection is supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: December 20, 1960 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:45
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:40227
- GENRE: Public Affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Boycott; Civil rights demonstrations; Race discrimination; Segregation; U S - Civil rights; African-American Collection - News/Talk
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1960-1980
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Irving Gitlin … Executive Producer
- Al Wasserman … Producer, Writer
- Robert Young … Associate Producer, Director, Writer
- Alec Wilder … Theme Music by
- Chet Huntley … Narrator
- Wallace Westfeldt … Reporter
- Ben West