In this silent WSB newsfilm clip possibly from June 9, 1963, an interracial group of civil rights student demonstrators are turned away in their attempt to integrate the S & W Cafeteria in Atlanta, Georgia. The clip begins with an interracial group of student demonstrators walking down the street. The men wear white shirts and ties and the women wear dresses; an African American woman and a white man have their arms around each others' waists. Outside a downtown building a group of white men confronts the students, and a white man pushes the students away from a doorway as he tries to close it. The students appear to speak to a white man in sunglasses; the African American woman has her arms draped around an African American man and a white man. The students try to maneuver themselves into the restaurant when the door opens. White patrons who leave try and avoid the demonstrators; a crowd on the sidewalk watches the exchange. Next the camera focuses on a broken glass panel at the bottom of the door. People walk on the sidewalk in front of the S & W Cafeteria between the demonstrators in front of the building and observers on the edge of the sidewalk. The demonstrators hold hands and stand in a line with their backs to the camera. The camera focuses on a white man in sun glasses who paces near the observers. The demonstrators again speak to the white men in front of the building before they walk away. Integration efforts in Atlanta focusing on restaurants and lunch counters began April 17, 1963 led by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights (COAHR). Students demonstrated at the S & W Cafeteria, Leb's Restaurant, and Ship Ahoy. On May 29 the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce called upon member businesses to desegregate as soon as possible. On June 25, 1963 thirty-five eating establishments agreed to quietly desegregate on a thirty-day trial basis. Some whites picketed the integrating restaurants, and eventually most of the restaurants resegregated. Most Atlanta-area restaurants desegregated following the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Title supplied by cataloger.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital conversion and description of the WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection.

1 clip (about 2 min.): black-and-white, silent ; 16 mm.

Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of an interracial group of civil rights students turned away after attempting to integrate S & W Cafeteria in Atlanta, Georgia, 1963 June 9, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 1116, 34:42/36:18, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Ga, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Forms part of: Civil Rights Digital Library.