Counter Histories: Rock Hill brings 1961 to life through the lives and words of the Friendship 9 whose actions ignited a passion that rose into the famed Freedom Rides, bringing the United States closer to major Civil rights reform. The film airs Thursday, February 18th at 9:00 p.m. on South Carolina ETV. On January 31st, 1961, in Rock Hill SC, the men who would become known as the Friendship 9 walked across town and sat down at a lunch counter. They were beaten, dragged outside, threatened, and sentenced to 30 days of hard labor at the York County Prison Camp. They were allowed no defense, afforded no rights, and offered no justice. Mostly students of nearby Friendship College, they held fast to nonviolence and “Jail No Bail.”