Sit-ins were a form of nonviolent protest used during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, particularly in the 1960s. African American protesters would occupy a segregated space, such as a restaurant or lunch counter, reserved for white individuals only. The sit-in participants would remain seated in the establishment, often peacefully enduring verbal and sometimes physical abuse, to challenge racial segregation and demand equal treatment.

One of the most famous sit-ins took place on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina, when four Black college students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University initiated a sit-in at a whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter. The protesters, known as the "Greensboro Four," peacefully occupied the seats at the lunch counter, sparking a wave of similar sit-ins across the South.

The sit-in movement spread rapidly, with thousands of African American students and civil rights activists participating in sit-ins at segregated establishments. The protests successfully drew attention to the injustices of segregation and played a significant role in desegregating public facilities and advancing the Civil Rights Movement.

Overall, sit-ins were a powerful and effective strategy used by African Americans to challenge racial segregation and discrimination, ultimately contributing to the dismantling of Jim Crow laws and the advancement of civil rights in the United States.