On June 23, 1957, Miss Virginia Williams was 20 years old when she made history--as one of the "Royal Seven"--in a sit-in at Durham, North Carolina's Royal Ice Cream Parlor.

When the manager asked the seven to leave, Ms. Williams simply announced, "I'd like some ice cream, please."

This happened three years prior to the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter sit-in. And we know that those activists who sparked the movement across college towns in the South and into the North knew of, and were inspired by, the Royal Seven!

Growing up in Seaboard, North Carolina, as the daughter of a sharecropper, Miss Williams had regularly watched her father dress up and leave home on Sunday afternoons, but he never told her or her siblings why.

At age 15, after badgering her mother repeatedly, Virginia learned that her father was attending NAACP meetings. This, of course, would be a grave risk to his livelihood, if anyone found out. When Virginia learned this, she vowed to leave the farm and do 3 things: (1) get a job, (2) find a place to live, and (3) find a meeting. And when she moved to Durham, NC, that's exactly what she did.

In 2022 Ms. Williams was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Durham's North Carolina Central University. On June 28, 2026 she was honored when Durham's Union Baptist Church honored her at the unveiling of The Royal Seven Center, standing on the site of the Royal Ice Cream Parlor sit-in.

On July 18, 2026, she will be honored at the annual gala of the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Get your tickets HERE!

After being arrested, when Ms. Williams was at the police station, an officer looked at her and said to the youthful-looking woman, "If you were my daughter, I'd put you over my knee and spank you."

Without missing a beat, Miss Williams responded, "If I was your daughter, we wouldn't be here for this."

(Mic drop.)

Introducing...

The Royal Seven Center

Today, On The Site of The Royal Ice Cream Parlor

Established by Durham's Union Baptist Church in 2026

Video produced and shared courtesy of Union Baptist Church

NAACP Annual Conference 2025

Living Her Best Life

With Rev. Dr. William Turner

Provident 1898

Museum of Durham History

Kings Park International Church

The Yard Milkshake Bar (Raleigh) #BlackOwnedBusiness

At Home

Art of Wu Tang McDougall

[James Baldwin, Virginia Williams, Pauli Murray, Ann Atwater]

The Cozart Xperience

Hear From This Royal Queen 👸🏽

What happened June 23, 1957...

And her playful side...

(More of Ms. Williams' story...coming soon!)

Dr. Virginia Williams

civil rights pioneer.........Durham, North Carolina

On June 23, 1957, Miss Virginia Williams was 20 years old when she made history--as one of the "Royal Seven"--in a sit-in at Durham, North Carolina's Royal Ice Cream Parlor.

When the manager asked the seven to leave, Ms. Williams simply announced, "I'd like some ice cream, please."

This happened three years prior to the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter sit-in. And we know that those activists who sparked the movement across college towns in the South and into the North knew of, and were inspired by, the Royal Seven!

The Royal Seven Center

Today, On The Site of The Royal Ice Cream Parlor

Living Her Best Life

Hear From This Royal Queen 👸🏽

On June 23, 1957, Miss Virginia Williams was 20 years old when she made history--as one of the "Royal Seven"--in a sit-in at Durham, North Carolina's Royal Ice Cream Parlor.

​

When the manager asked the seven to leave, Ms. Williams simply announced, "I'd like some ice cream, please."

​

This​ happened three years prior to the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter sit-in. And we know that those activists who sparked the movement across college towns in the South and into the North knew of, and were inspired by, the Royal Seven!

The Royal Seven Center

Today, On The Site of The Royal Ice Cream Parlor

Living Her Best Life

Hear From This Royal Queen 👸🏽

This happened three years prior to the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter sit-in. And we know that those activists who sparked the movement across college towns in the South and into the North knew of, and were inspired by, the Royal Seven!