Diane Judith Nash became a key figure in the 1960s sit-in movement leading to radical reform in racially segregated American communities. In fall of 1959, students from Tennessee State University, American Baptist Theological Seminary, Meharry Medical College, and Fisk University (all in Nashville, TN) along with a group of adults from Nashville came together for the purpose of organizing to address the critical need for social change. At that time, Nash was attending Fisk University and a student of the philosophy of nonviolence.

She became the first unofficial leader and spokesperson for a sit-in group which demonstrated in Charlotte and Rock Hill, and her statements were often quoted in the Nashville newspapers. Nash, along with Ruby Doris Smith, Charles Sherrod, and Charles Jones, was arrested and served 37 days in jail. All were sentenced to hard labor and experienced severe racial harassment. They became known as “The Rock Hill Four.” Despite her brave leadership, Nash is an uncelebrated but vitally important figure in this significant historic period.