George Wythe Class of 2010

Staring students from George Wythe High School. Directed by Derome Smith.


On February 20, 1960, more than 200 students from Virginia Union University walked from the Lombardy Street campus to the shopping district along Broad and Grace streets. Once there, they entered the “Whites Only” lunch counter at Thalhimers and were refused service, though they remained in their seats until the store closed.

Two days later, on February 22, 34 VUU students returned to Thalhimers and were again refused service. This time around, they were arrested for trespassing at the request of store management. The students became known as the Richmond 34, a reference to their place in the Civil Rights Movement as sit-ins began being used as a form of peaceful protest against segregationist policies.

Over time, Thalhimers responded by integrating its facilities, and other local businesses followed. The 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act outlawed racial discrimination in schools, public spaces, and in places of employment.

On February 22, 2010, Richmond CenterStage will host Sit-In|Stand Out, an event honoring the 50th anniversary of the Sit-In at the Thalhimers building, now a part of the Richmond CenterStage downtown performing arts center. In addition, Virginia Union University will host a series of lectures, performances and commemoratory events from February 17-22.

Sit-In|Stand Out will include an education forum for CenterStage partner schools grades 7 through 12, a community luncheon, several performances, and inspired paintings and exhibits created by children from our partner schools in the Showcase Art Gallery – all serving as a remembrance of an often overlooked and forgotten part of Richmond’s and America’s past.