Criminal records of seven North Carolina civil rights activists have been expunged after six decades following a sit-in that led to their arrests. The young men staged the demonstration at the whites-only lunch counter of Eckerd Drug Store in 1960. They were charged with trespassing, but instead of folding to the weight of segregation, they challenged the offenses, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court.
The men won, and their convictions were thrown out in 1964, days before the landmark Civil Rights Act was approved by the Senate and signed into law weeks later. On Friday (Oct. 25), their names were officially cleared of any wrongdoing. Of the men, only Rev. Simon Bouie and Charles Barr lived long enough to see that day come to fruition. David Carter, Johnny Clark, Richard Counts, Milton Greene and Talmadge Neal were each represented by family members who attended the event in their honor.
“In 1960 they were victimized. Today they are vindicated. In 1960 they were prosecuted. Today they are praised. In 1960 they were convicted. Today they are exonerated,” University of South Carolina professor Bobby Donaldson told those present for the ceremony inside of a Columbia courtroom blocks away from the diner. In his recollection of that fateful day in 1960, Bouie said, “We had a desire to fight for what was right and nobody could turn us around. We walked in that building with our heads held high and sat down,” as reported by NBC News.
Solicitor Byron Gipson spearheaded the honor of clearing the men's personal records. “These men stood bravely — sat bravely, quite frankly — in the face of adversity, in the face of threats, in the face of death. They did it because they wanted to guarantee the Constitution applied to all Americans," he said.
The expungements were rolled out as the presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald J. Trump draws to a close. Despite disavowing ties to racism, the former president has been criticized for years of remarks seemingly promoting racism-fueled division in the country. Harris and her supporters have warned of worsening race relations if the businessman secures a second term in office.