The Woolworth's lunch counter holds significant importance in Black history as a site of pivotal civil rights protests during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. One of the most famous events took place on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina, where four African American college students – Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond – sat down at the segregated lunch counter and refused to leave until they were served, sparking a wave of sit-ins at Woolworth's and other segregated establishments across the South.

These peaceful protests aimed to challenge racial segregation and discrimination in public spaces, particularly at lunch counters where Black customers were not allowed to sit alongside white customers. The sit-ins at Woolworth's and other similar establishments brought national attention to the issue of segregation and helped galvanize support for the Civil Rights Movement.

The courage and determination of the Greensboro Four and other activists who participated in these sit-ins played a crucial role in the eventual desegregation of public spaces and the passage of civil rights legislation. The Woolworth's lunch counter sit-ins are a powerful symbol of the nonviolent resistance and grassroots activism that characterized the struggle for racial equality in America.