It doesn’t take a hero to stand up for what’s right.

That’s the rallying cry students gathered around during the civil rights movement. Entirely independently, students organized and protested around the Triangle from restaurants, churches, universities, and cinemas. They weren’t figures legendary in civil rights history like Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, or Malcolm X. Unlike them, many of the students’ names are lost to history. Here’s some lesser known local protests to learn more about them this Black History Month.

Duke Allen Takeover 

As one of the major universities located in RDU, students at Duke University have played an important historical role, setting the stage for future generations of student activism around the Triangle. Although the school was desegregated in 1963, racial tensions remained high, and Black students were subject to racism at a personal and systemic level. In an effort to combat this racism and improve conditions for Black students, the Afro-American Society was formed by students in 1967. The society made several demands, but after two years, the administration failed to meet them, and the students were fed up.

On Feb. 13, 1969, around 50 members of the Afro-American Society occupied the Allen building and barricaded themselves inside. The students published a statement in the Duke Chronicle saying, “We seized the building because we have been negotiating with the Duke administration and faculty concerning different issues that affect Black students for 2.5 years. We have no meaningful results. We have exhausted all the so-called proper channels.” In addition, a group of one hundred majority-white students gathered outside the building to support their fellow students. As the students began to peacefully leave the building, there was an altercation between Durham police officers and the group of students that led to twenty student injuries and five arrests. 

While the takeover did not spur immediate action from the administration, they did move to establish a program in African American studies. The biggest impact, though, was the student unity that flourished afterwards. White and Black students came together to fight the administration and protect the students who were arrested on the day of the protest. The Duke Allen occupation remains an important part of Duke history that continues to inspire students to stand up for what they believe in to this day.

The Village District Sit-Ins 

Over 60 years ago, before February was known as Black History Month, 130 African American students walked into eight segregated businesses across downtown Raleigh and the historic Cameron Village District. The protests occurred on Feb. 10, 1960, nine days after the Greensboro sit-ins sparked a broader sit-in movement in the Southern United States. They were organized by students at Shaw University and Saint Augustine’s, the two prominent HBCUs in Raleigh.

To some, the protests seem destined to fail. Raleigh’s mayor at the time, William G. Enloe, called the sit-ins “regrettable,” arguing they would “endang[er] Raleigh’s ‘friendly and cooperative’ race relations by seeking to change a long-standing custom in a manner that [was] all but determined to fail.” Yet, by 1964, the sit-in movement had spread as far west as Missouri, and saw the involvement of over 70 thousand men and women. Later that year, the Civil Rights Act was passed, officially outlawing segregation throughout the U.S.

Far from unsuccessful, the sit-ins grew the activism movement among young people to the point of causing the formation of a new Civil Rights organization, one specifically centered on students. Two months after the Village District Sit-Ins, in April 1960, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded at a student leadership conference at Shaw University in downtown Raleigh. 126 student delegates were present from multiple Southern states. Although Shaw alumna and Civil Rights activist Ella Baker helped organize the conference, students were the key leaders. They chose to form an independent group instead of being a branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and they remained distinct in their values and tactics. SNCC remained active until 1970, participating in sit-ins, Freedom Rides, and voting rights demonstrations.

Enloe Activism

Enloe itself has a past in fighting for racial progress. Aside from being the first integrated high school south of the Mason-Dixon line, Enloe’s student body has a long history of activism. 

Lisa Thompson, Enloe’s magnet coordinator, comments on Enloe’s culture surrounding activism. She said, “I think that kids that leave Enloe are leaving here with a very open mind … This type of environment is even more important for young people, to see that you really can work together.”

Only six years ago, Enloe was once again at the forefront of student-led advocacy. Victoria Harris and Yakob Lemma, seniors at Enloe at the time, created the Wake County Black Student Coalition (WCBSC) in response to the wave of protests across the nation following the murder of George Floyd. WCBSC organized a protest in favor of removing Student Resource Officers (SROs) from Wake county public schools in favor of social workers or counselors, arguing that SROs are ineffective at protecting students’ safety due to racial biases. The organization boasted around 200 members their first year active and garnered necessary attention around the issues surrounding SROs. At the same time, four other Enloe students advocated for the same goal of replacing SROs via petition. Jasmin Loraine Benas, Srivani Edupuganti, Teya Franks, and Reagan Razon’s petition ultimately received 7,060 signatures.

Remembering the power we have as students is important. As Thompson said, “This is a cliche statement, but you know you guys are the future.” 

We often think of student protests as black and white photos from an era gone by. But today, the story of student protest is still alive in the vibrant color of living memory. Even if the diners are now integrated and student petitions have been filed away, today we can still remember and imitate the memory of protestors, Black and white, working side by side for what is right.

Bibliography 

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Chapman, Bridget. “Students Protest in Downtown Raleigh in Favor of Removing Student Resource Officers.” CBS17.com, 26 June 2020, www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/students-protest-in-downtown-raleigh-in-favor-of-removing-student-resource-officers/. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

“Duke University Allen Building Takeover, 1969 | Durham Civil Rights Heritage Project.” Durham Civil Rights Heritage Project, 2020, www.durhamcountylibrary.org/exhibits/dcrhp/events/duke_university_allen_building_takeover_1969/.

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Kolenovsky, Zoe. “Student-Organized Alumni Panel Commemorates 55th Anniversary of Allen Building Takeover.” The Duke Chronicle, 14 Feb. 2024, dukechronicle.com/article/duke-university-commemorates-55th-anniversary-allen-building-takeover-alumni-panel-student-activism-20240214. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.

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Stanford University. “Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) | the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute.” Kinginstitute.stanford.edu, 15 Apr. 1960, kinginstitute.stanford.edu/student-nonviolent-coordinating-committee-sncc.

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