Google Doodle turns history into the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in

Google Doodle turns history into the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in

Sixty years ago, four African American college students waited quietly at the lunch counter at Whitworth in Greensboro, North Carolina.

They waited, even though they were requested not to get service and leave. The next day, they came back and waited again.

In the three days since the protest began, more than 300 students have gathered at their Greensboro Four "Greensboro Four". In the following months, his actions sparked a wave of similar performances in restaurants and other isolated venues across the South, including a fight against Jim Crow-era segregation and a turning point in the civil rights movement.

Google beats Black History Month with a doodle commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-in.

The doodle on Saturday comes from Compton-based artist Karen Collins, founder of the African American Miniature Museum. This doodle is actually a picture of the diorama depicting the "Greensboro Four" on February 1, 1960 at Woolworth's Lunch Counter protesting racial segregation.

Collins wrote in a blog post, "Hosted by four Black College freshers, protesting segregation for similar shows across the country." "Today's Doodle Diorama is not just a tribute to the sit-in and everything that comes with it: the change in our country to make it possible for all Americans - no matter their race, rank, or religion - to live up to their full potential."

Collins summarizes Black history through the dioramas
Collins has been making dioramas through the African American Miniature Museum for over 24 years, and the project began with her husband, Eddie Lewis.

Collins always wanted the dollhouse as a little girl, but as a single mother's daughter, her family couldn't afford it, she wrote in a blog post. When he bought his first dollhouse 40 years later, he discovered his passion for using dioramas to tell stories.

That hobby had a new meaning when his son was in trouble. Amidst his pain and suffering, he opened the African American Small Museum.

The museum began as a mobile project in the 1990s, in places such as schools, libraries, and churches, where Collins displayed his work as a way of representing black history for children - and to this day he operates the museum from home. Collins stated on his website that he hopes to someday find more than 50 dormitories that he has created, and that the events from the Middle Way to the United States contradict Black Lives Matter.

“To me, the museum is a way to turn negativity into positive and share stories of the strength and perseverance of our ancestors,” Collins wrote in a blog post. "I want young people to know the people who came before them who made the sacrifice to help make today's life possible. Most importantly, I want each of us to see that they have it. It is a force that can grow in hard times and hopefully come after us."