Beginning in 1960, Washington D.C. experienced an influx of new diplomats from developing nations from the so-called Third World. After decades-long efforts of local civil rights activists, the national capital had been largely desegregated at that point in time. However, much to the embarrassment of the Kennedy Administration, this was not true for large parts of Maryland, through which the diplomats had to travel on their way to and from the United Nations headquarters in New York. The administration’s newfound interest to desegregate the restaurants along US-40, at least when it came to African diplomats, was taken up by CORE activists, who campaigned for general access for all people of color. Several weeks after the start of the campaign
