Three of 29 Alabama State College students who led the first sit-in protest in the state six decades ago on Feb. 25 when they refused to leave a segregated lunch counter at the Montgomery County Courthouse, returned to the university on Monday to relive the historic event that changed their lives and the world.

St. John Dixon, James McFadden and Joe Peterson told an attentive audience about their daring act of civil disobedience that would learn them a swift rebuke from the university on orders of the Alabama State Board of Education by way of Gov. John Patterson.

In the aftermath, 20 students were placed on probation and nine were expelled — Dixon, McFadden and Peterson were among those put out.

"We need to be clear," McFadden said on Monday, "that if you don't fight injustice wherever you are, then it's going to be on your doorstep" one day.

In 2010, ASU awarded the three former students honorary degrees. It would take the State Board eight more years to issue an official admission of wrong doing and expunge their records. On Wednesday, the university will further examine the state and county's actions with a panel discussion on reconciliation that will feature ASU history chair Derryn Moten, Mayor Steven Reed, and current representatives from the state and county.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Safiya Charles at (334) 240-0121 or SCharles@gannett.com