Several of the ‘Richmond 34’ stand by the historic marker dedicated Tuesday in Downtown on the site of their sit-in at the old Thalhimers department store in early 1960 to protest the store’s whites-only dining policy. They are, from left, Wendell T. Foster Jr., Raymond B. Randolph Jr., Elizabeth Johnson Rice and her brother, Ford T. Johnson Jr. They are joined by Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt, whose great-great-great-grandfather ran the department store at the time.
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‘Richmond 34’ student sit-in commemorated with state marker
Elizabeth Johnson Rice was among 34 Virginia Union University students who were arrested after they staged a sit-in at Thalhimers department store in 1960 for its refusal to serve African-Americans in its restaurants.
