COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Back in 1960, seven young black men in Columbia were arrested for a peaceful protest. Students from Allen University and Benedict College staged sit-ins at white-only businesses, taking the lead from those in Greensboro, North Carolina. More than 60 years later, their records are just now being cleared. A little more than 64 years ago, Reverend Simon Bouie was one of the seven black college students in Columbia arrested for a sit-in at a whites-only business on Taylor Street.  While the cases were appealed all the way up to the US Supreme Court, the records of the seven college students still showed an arrest until this week. Friday afternoon, a judge expunged the record of Reverend Bouie, Charles Barr and five others at the Richland County Judicial Center.  Barr recalls being determined to make a change but testified to being scared during the sit-in. The families of the five Civil Rights leaders who passed away before their records could be cleared also appeared in court. Fifth circuit solicitor Byron Gipson took care of the paperwork and many hope it sheds light on a piece of Columbia’s past. Categories: Local News, News, Richland Tags: Civil Rights, Richland County Court, Sit-In