For Greensboro, North Carolina, the 1960s was a turbulent decade. Greenshoro became a critical location in the civil rights movement, starting with the 1960 sit-in hy four North Carolina AandT students that sparked demonstrations nationwide. African Americans reacted differently to the protests. Some, afraid of change, defended the status quo. Others watched from the sidelines, nervous but excited about possible change. Many, putting their personal safety at risk, took part in boycotts and protests. Other African Americans who wanted to advocate for their race took a different approach, working within the judicial system from the inside, instead of against it. Elreta Alexander, a prominent black attorney from Greensboro, said in a 1977 interview, "I like to he a part of the change. Sometimes I feel like I've accomplished very little, but I realize that even without the NAACP we were able to get a lot changed just because I was dared to buck it [the system]."^ Alexander bucked the system by breaking into a white male power structure and making her presence known.
