Civil Rights: Piccadilly Cafeteria Protest
The photographs in this collection are surveillance photos taken by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department during a month-long civil rights protest at the Piccadilly Cafeteria in Dallas, Texas, in 1964.
One of the most prominent and sustained civil rights protests in Dallas history occurred at the downtown Piccadilly Cafeteria at 1503 Commerce Street. Beginning May 30, 1964, activists interested in desegregating the popular cafeteria peacefully protested at the site for twenty-eight consecutive days. During that time, seventeen demonstrators were arrested for “disturbing the peace,” ranging from a sixteen-year-old high school student to a thirty-seven-year-old housewife. The protest brought Dallas national media attention, with articles appearing in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. Local newspaper, The Dallas Morning News, ran approximately twenty-five stories on the demonstration over the course of one month.
Although initiated by the actions of Dallas resident Clarence Broadnax, who was arrested and allegedly threatened by Dallas police officers after refusing to leave the cafeteria in May 1964, the actual demonstration was principally organized by Dallas minister Earl Allen, then pastor of Highland Hills Methodist Church and a local leader with the Congress of Racial Equality. This CORE demonstration in Dallas followed the same basic rules as other restaurant protests throughout the south at that time. Each day, especially during the weekday lunch rush, peaceful demonstrators would join the line outside and wait to be refused service at the door before going to the back of the line and trying again. This resulted in a noticeable slowdown in business, causing the cafeteria to lose money—one of the only ways that civil rights organizations could effectively change long-standing racist segregation policies. Other protestors supported those in line by chanting, singing, or holding up signs and marching up and down Commerce Street to attract attention.
Although the Dallas County Sheriff's Department identified a number of individuals involved in the protest, the identities of many participants seen in these images remain unknown. We welcome any assistance in identifying people appearing in these photos. If you think you may be able to help, please contact us at collections@jfk.org.
