February 13

On February 13, 1960, a group of African American students from Fisk University, Tennessee A&I State College, and American Baptist College initiated nonviolent sit-ins at downtown Nashville's segregated lunch counters. Facing arrests and hostility, the students drew national attention to the civil rights struggle. Their disciplined approach, including daily protests and legal strategies, galvanized support from community leaders like Reverend James Lawson. The sit-ins led local businesses to begin integrating their facilities by May of that year. This tactical movement inspired similar protests throughout the South and became a cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement.

On February 13, 2011, members of the Umatilla tribe successfully hunted and harvested a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park. This act restored a treaty right from 1855, allowing the tribe to continue their ancestral bison hunting traditions. For over a century, the Umatilla had been barred from this cultural practice despite the treaty's guarantees. The harvest ceremony included traditional prayers and was conducted in collaboration with park authorities. The event symbolized resilience, cultural revival, and recognition of Indigenous treaties. It sparked discussions on native hunting rights, conservation, and respectful wildlife management.