Prisca Barnes, Wichita
Presentation Explores Wichita’s Dockum Drugstore Sit-In
[Wellington, Kansas] – Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society] in Wellington, Kansas will host “The Dockum Drugstore Sit-In,” a presentation and discussion by Prisca Barnes on Monday, April 15th at 6:30 p.m. at Cowley College, Short General Education Center, Room 113, 2208 Davis-White Loop, Wellington.
This program is made possible by Humanities Kansas, and is free and open to the public.
For more info visit www.ksschgs.com or contact the SCHGS at 620-440-4245 on Tuesdays from 10 – 4. After hours: Jane at 620-447-3266; Sherry at 316-833-6161.
Seeking racial equity and an end to segregation, Wichita’s Black students organized and staged a sit-in in 1958 at Wichita’s Dockum Drugstore. The Dockum Drugstore, which was owned by Rexall, was located at the southeast corner of Douglas and Broadway in Wichita.
Long denied entry into the city’s movie theaters and restaurants, students exercised their right to peacefully protest over a three-week period at the popular lunch counter. What transpired, how it ended, and the lasting impact it had on race relations in the city is the focus of this talk. More broadly, the talk will explore how these types of protests transformed the struggle for racial equity in America.
Prisca Barnes is the founder of Storytime Village, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Wichita that promotes reading among low-income children and families. She is a passionate advocate for equity in education and literacy.
“The Dockum Sit-in was one of the first student-led lunch counter protests of the Civil Rights era and it happened here in Kansas,” said Barnes. “It important to revisit its circumstances.”
“The Dockum Drugstore Sit-In” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. “21st Century Civics” is made possible with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information about “The Dockum Drugstore Sit-In” in Wellington contact the Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society at 620-440-4245 on Tuesdays from 10 to 4 or visit www.ksschgs.com.
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, our pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and generate insights. Together with our partners and supporters, we inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.