Throughout the month, WCNC Charlotte celebrates Black History Month by highlighting historical people and places in Charlotte and the Carolinas.
CHARLOTTE, NC – Civil rights activist Charles Jones made a big mark on Charlotte by helping organize some of the first few lunch sit-ins in Charlotte.
Jones was born in Chester, South Carolina, in August 1937. His family moved to Charlotte 10 years later and settled in the Biddleville neighborhood in the shadow of Johnson C. Smith University, where Jones later became a divinity student.
It was 1960 when Jones heard of students at North Carolina A&T protesting segregated restaurants by doing sit-ins. Wanting to bring this to Charlotte, he met with students to share his plans: wear his Sunday best, go to nearby Woolworth and don’t go.
RELATED: “He Wanted Everyone to Live in Harmony” | The life and legacy of J. Charles Jones
He expected 10 or 12 people to join his effort, but over 200 came out.
As a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Jones also led protests in the South as part of the Freedom Riders, and later founded a civil rights practice in Charlotte. He stood up for his community until he died in December 2019. He was 82 years old.
Richard DeVayne contributed to this report.
PHOTOS: The life and legacy of civil rights leader J. Charles Jones
RELATED: Atrium Health’s President and CEO is widely recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare
RELATED: Highlighting by Dr. Sandy Charles, a cardiologist for Novant Health
RELATED: How Oprah recognized one of the youngest and first black pharmacy owners in Charlotte
RELATED: COVID-19 Pandemic, Racial Injustice Sheds Light On Black Mental Health
Comments are closed.