Sit-ins were a form of nonviolent protest that played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement, particularly in the fight against segregation and discrimination in the United States. One of the most famous sit-in protests took place on February 1, 1960, when four African American college students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at a segregated lunch counter at a Woolworth's store and refused to leave until they were served.

The sit-in at Woolworth's sparked a wave of similar protests across the South, with thousands of students and activists participating in sit-ins at restaurants, department stores, libraries, and other public places that practiced segregation. These protests were instrumental in challenging the Jim Crow laws and customs that enforced racial segregation and discrimination.

Sit-ins not only helped to desegregate public accommodations but also served as a powerful tool for raising public awareness about the injustice of segregation and mobilizing support for the Civil Rights Movement. The success of the sit-ins paved the way for other forms of nonviolent direct action, such as freedom rides and marches, that ultimately led to the passage of laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to end racial segregation and secure equal rights for African Americans.