Racism

In 1959, the Carnegie library in Atlanta, GA was shut to black people, despite abolitionists having succeeded in their quest nearly eighty years ago.
A few brave black students agreed to start a project to convince the library to allow blacks, and started by showing the white community that the library was needed in the black community as well. The nearest black libraries were often insufficiently stocked and oftentimes it was impossible to find a necessary book. If this happened, the protesters agreed to go the the white library and politely but firmly refuse to leave until they had access to that book, although they were forced to read it in a separate room or the basement and could not check out books, so as to not upset the white patrons.
Students angry at the inaction of the library directors met with them to urge them to desegregate the library. The directors claimed that doing so would be impossible and would spark mob violence. Indeed, if, as was threatened, the students sued for their rights, the directors claimed they would have no choice but to close the library.
After great difficulty, two plaintiffs were found to file a lawsuit: Otis Moss and Irene Dobbs Jackson. Once the directors saw that the students were serious in their threat of legal action, they immediately opened the library to all residents. The claimed mob violence never occurred-several days after the event, when the newspapers published it, the KKK began making threatening phone calls to Otis Moss and Irene Dobbs Jackson, but none of the threats were ever carried out.
This incident shows clearly how seemingly insignificant actions can bring great progress to various social causes and, equally clearly, what an effect inaction can have: many of the white patrons, after the libraries were desegregated, felt guilty that they had silently condoned racism by not speaking out.