Sit-in protests were a powerful form of nonviolent direct action used during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, in which participants would peacefully occupy segregated spaces, such as restaurants, lunch counters, and other public facilities, to protest racial segregation and discrimination.

One of the most famous sit-in protests took place on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina, when four African American college students from North Carolina A&T State University sat down at a whites-only lunch counter at the Woolworth's store and refused to leave. Their peaceful protest led to a wave of sit-ins across the South, sparking a national movement that drew attention to the injustices of segregation and helped bring about change.

Sit-in protests played a significant role in the desegregation of public facilities and helped pave the way for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Sit-ins remain a powerful symbol of the power of nonviolent resistance and the determination of individuals to fight for equality and justice.