Friendship Junior College

The original Friendship School was incorporated in 1906. During the 41-year tenure of President James A Goudlock, the school, renamed Friendship College, reorganized and provided African American students with elementary (grades 1-8), high school, and collegiate training. In 1978 the school received state approval for four-year programs in accounting, business administration and economics.  Friendship College made headlines in 1961 when ten students staged a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter in Rock Hill.  Jailed, all but one refused to accept bail.  The “Friendship Nine,” as they later became known, adopted this “Jail No Bail” strategy to dramatize southern injustice, intensify the struggle, and attract additional media coverage.  In 2015, Judge John C. Hayes III overturned the convictions of the Friendship Nine stating: “We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history.”

KEYWORDS: FRIENDSHIP NINE, CIVIL RIGHTS, LUNCH COUNTER SIT-IN, ROCK HILL, YORK COUNTY