Civil Rights Room and John Lewis Way

There are many sites involving food and social justice in Nashville, but perhaps the most historic site is right here in downtown. We’ll start in the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library and tell you about the sit-ins movement. Then, if you have time you can walk one block to John Lewis Way to see the former stores connected to the sit-ins. And if you’re hungry you can stop at the Arcade, where there are many restaurants and a famous peanut shop!

Go to the second floor of the library to the Special Collections. Once inside, turn left and you’ll find the Civil Rights Room. The Nashville sit-in movement was one of many direct, non-violent protests that took place across the South. What is a sit-in you ask? It is a form of protest in which demonstrators occupy a place, refusing to leave until their demands are met. The movement began with Black students in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Here in Nashville, students also took the lead to desegregate the city’s eating establishments. It was a two-pronged approach. First, they wanted to draw public and media attention to the moral injustice of segregated lunch counters. Second, they wanted to demonstrate the buying power of the African American community through an economic boycott. 

Most of the students were from Nashville’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities, abbreviated HBCUs, which included Fisk University, Tennessee A&I (today’s TSU), American Baptist College, and Meharry Medical College. In preparation, the Reverend James Lawson, a student at Vanderbilt’s School of Divinity, conducted workshops to train the students in Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent direct action.

Throughout the spring, students conducted numerous sit-ins. They suffered verbal and physical abuse, arrests, fines, and incarceration, but held steadfastly to the concept of Christian nonviolence. Lunch counters downtown were desegregated in May 1961. Student leaders of the movement included Diane Nash, John Lewis, James Bevel, Bernard Lafayette, and C. T. Vivian. They stood up for equal rights by sitting down. Together with thousands of others, this successful campaign became the model for cities across the South. 

To visit the sites of the Civil Rights Sit-Ins, go back to the main entrance of the library. Exit and turn RIGHT onto Church Street. Go one block then turn LEFT onto John Lewis Way. Locate the historical marker and then cross the street to enter the Arcade. The Arcade was the staging ground for the sit-ins as students waited here to replace others who were arrested at Woolworth, Walgreens, and Kress. Walk through the Arcade—a historic gem—completed in 1903. You’ll find restaurants, artist studios, and a peanut shop that dates back to the 1930s! To learn more about this area, check out our walking tours including Civil Rights Sit-Ins, Food for Thought, Downtown Public Arts and Murals, and Capitol and Church Architecture.

Now we’ll head to the Nashville Farmer’s Market, 900 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. Make your way back to the library and your vehicle, and exit the garage onto either 6th or 7th Avenue, turning away from Church Street. Turn RIGHT onto Commerce Street then RIGHT onto Rosa L. Parks Blvd. Continue on Rosa Parks as you drive around the Tennessee State Capitol. At the light, turn LEFT to stay on Rosa Parks Blvd. Your next stop, the Nashville Farmer’s Market, will be on your right. There is free parking in the lot between the market and the Tennessee State Museum.