On October 19, 1960, during a sit-in organized by local Black college students, 52 Black people are arrested for refusing to leave their seats at department store lunch counters across segregated Atlanta — Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., among them.

Thousands join sit-ins the next day, and protests and mass arrests continue during the following weeks and months.

Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert, get involved to secure freedom for King, two days into a four month sentence of hard labor, and continue to support desegregation efforts when JFK wins the election.

In March of 1961, business and political leaders and student organizers reach an agreement to end the protests, integrate public schools, and desegregate businesses in the city.