There were four men influenced by non-violent protest. Ralph Johns helped put there protest together. The four men were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. They were inspired by the freedom riders. They planned their protest very carefully. By February 8, 500 people joined the protest. They sat at the table. They wanted to be severed at but didn’t get served. The owners didn’t want the black people to sit there because they didn’t like the color of their skin. They sat at the counter because they didn’t care for there rules and the men wanted their food. The four men went to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. At Woolworth’s you could only sit on the stools if you were white. This all started because these four men wanted to prove a point about segregation. 