Meet The New Jersey Woman Who Was Pivotal To North Carolina Sit-Ins During The Civil Rights Movement

By Liz Crawford, CBS Philadelphia

March 19, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The sit-ins of the South became a pivotal part of civil rights history, and in 1960, a North Carolina college student from the Philadelphia area took a stand by being one of the first to sit down at a whites-only lunch counter.

Nancy Kirby's story begins in Haddonfield, New Jersey, where she grew up and graduated from high school at age 16. She was planning to stay local for college by attending the University of Pennsylvania or Temple University - two schools Kirby said offered her full scholarships. Her mother, however, insisted she go away and attend an HBCU.

"She wanted me to have an experience where I was not in the minority," Kirby said.

CBS News Philadelphia

Click here for the full story via CBS Philadelphia

CBS Local Digital Media personalizes the global reach of CBS-owned and operated television and radio stations with a local perspective.