Spectrum News Text and Email Alerts Sign-up, California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. The Greensboro Four were four young Black men who staged the first sit-in at Greensboro: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. In late 1959, the Greensboro Four participated in NAACP meetings at Bennett College, where they collaborated with the women students known as the Bennett Belles on a plan. After nearly a week of protests, approximately 1,400 students showed up to the Greensboro Woolworth to demonstrate. On February 1st, 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina, four A&T freshmen students, Ezell Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond walked downtown and "sat - in" at the whites-only lunch counter at F.W. They were taking place in a lot of places before Greensboro., READ MORE: Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against Segregation. Notes about review of interview transcripts with Carmichael, Ezell Blair, Lucy Thornton, and Jean Wheeler. Ezell was born on October 18, 1941 in Greensboro, North Carolina.. Ezell is one of the famous and trending celeb who is popular for being a Activist. By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Together they have three children. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch counter. It was during his freshman year that Khazan and his roommate, Joseph McNeil; along with two other associates, Franklin McCain and David Richmond, devised a plan to protest against the policies of the segregated lunch counter at the downtown Greensboro F. W. Woolworth's store. Police arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. To capitalize on the momentum of the sit-in movement, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in April 1960. By simply remaining in their seats peacefully and quietly, they flummoxed the staff and left them unsure on how to enforce their whites-only rule. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. The four men who were denied service at a Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina, pose in front of the store on February 1, 1990. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. Then, the next day, they returned to do it all over again, according to CNN. Blair, along with Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, and David Richmond, decided to stage the sit-in protest as a way of challenging the racial segregation that was prevalent in their community. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. Some of the first sit-ins during the civil rights movementwere organized by history teacher Clara Luper and the NAACP Youth Council in Oklahoma City in1958. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. No one would serve them. He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. A look at one of the defining social movements in U.S. history, told through the personal stories of men, women and children who lived through it. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. One of the original Greensboro Four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. SNCC also pushed King to take a more forceful stance against the war in Vietnam in 1967 and popularized the slogan Black Power! in 1966.. Today, he is remembered as a hero of the Civil Rights Movement and a symbol of the power of nonviolent resistance to bring about change. Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. Not only were lunch counters across the country integrated one by one, a student movement was galvanized. [7] In 2002, North Carolina A&T commissioned a statue to be sculpted honoring Khazan, along with the three other members of the A&T four: Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. On February 1, 1960, the four students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworths in downtown Greensboro, where the official policy was to refuse service to anyone but whites. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of denying service to non-white customers. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of The store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. We provide access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. While a student at A & T he was elected to attend the meeting at Shaw University in Raleigh at which the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was formed. He was a student government leader. King's words had made a huge impact with Khazan, so much so that he later remarked that "he could feel his heart palpitating" and that the words of King "brought tears to his eyes.". July 1, 2020. [4] Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter, Taylor, who asked him to define freedom. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. [12], "Civil Rights Greensboro: Jibreel Khazan", University of North Carolina at Greensboro, "Jibreel Khazan (Formerly Ezell Blair Jr.)", "Oral History Interview with Jibreel Khazan by William Chafe:: Civil Rights Greensboro", "Ezell Blair, Stokely Carmichael, Lucy Thornton and Jean Wheeler | Who Speaks for the Negro? Ezell A. Blair Jr. was one of the four African American college students who initiated the sit-in protest at Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960. These materials may be graphic or reflect biases. Nadra Nittle is a veteran journalist who is currently the education reporter for The 19th. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. 20072023 Blackpast.org. SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Ezell Blair begins this interview by describing his participation in the Greensboro student sit-in and describes the students Ezell Blair, Stokely Carmichael, Lucy Thornton and Jean Wheeler. The four students were inspired by the nonviolent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and they believed that peaceful direct action was the best way to bring about change. In February 1960, while an 18 year-old freshman at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College (A&T), Blair and three other students began a sit-in protest at the lunch counter of a Woolworths store in Greensboro, North Carolina. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Blair and the other three students were refused service when they sat down at Woolworths lunch counter, but they refused to leave and stayed at the counter until the store closed. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. The Greensboro Four wanted their protest to get recognition, so before heading to Woolworths on February 1, they arranged for Ralph Johns, a white businessman and activist, to alert the press about their plans. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was 49 years old when he died in 1990 and received a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from At&T State University. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four; a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of Led by four North Carolina A&T Students - Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Jibreel Khazan (then Ezell Blair, Jr.) and David Richmond, the nonviolent protests lasted over five months. It was a small victoryand one that would build. They have three children, one of whom graduated from A & T. Do you find this information helpful? The four North Carolina A & T students are (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil. They had a strong Black community in Greensboro that was steeped in the struggle and willing to support young people by way of moral and financial support, says Prairie View A&M University History Professor Will Guzmn. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. They mean that young people are going to be one of the major driving forces in terms of how the civil rights movement is going to unfold., Listen to HISTORY This Week Podcast: Sitting in For Civil Rights. On February 1, 1960, Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeillater dubbed the Greensboro Fourbegan a sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter in. The sit-ins establish a crucial kind of leadership and organizing of young people, says Jeanne Theoharis, a Brooklyn College political science professor. The movement was about simple dignity, respect, access, equal opportunity, and most importantly the legal and constitutional concerns., READ MORE:8 Steps That Paved the Way to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Greensboro sit-in. Google Download it here. Google says they were also influenced by the techniques of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They were asked to leave. The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. Read more, Greensboro Voices: Voicing Observations in Civil Rights and Equality struggles, Greensboro Public Library (Greensboro, N.C.), Oral history interview with Ezell and Corene Blair, Records that have the exact phrase Montgomery Bus Boycott, Records with the word integration that also contain the words Albany and/or Augusta, Records with the name King but not the name Martin, Records containing the phrase Freedom Rides and the name Carter, Records containing the words Selma and Lewis or Selma and Williams, Use quotation marks to search as a phrase, Use "+" before a term to make it required (Otherwise results matching only some of your terms may be included), Use "-" before a word or phrase to exclude, Use "OR", "AND", and "NOT" (must be capitalized) to create complex boolean logic, You can use parentheses in your complex expressions, Truncation and wildcards are not supported. According to PBS.org, the police were called but were unable to take action against the four students due to lack of provocation. Woolworths closed early that day. Joseph Alfred McNeil (born March 25, 1942) is a retired major general in the United States Air Force who is best known for being a member of the Greensboro Four; a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. In some cases, they may conflict with strongly held cultural values, beliefs or restrictions. They also took inspiration from civil rights causes of years earlier, including the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycott. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. Upon his return to North Carolina, the Greensboro Trailways Bus Terminal Cafe denied him service at its lunch counter, making him determined to fight segregation. He lives in New York. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. by mcgorry. [3] In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. This monument provides a larger-than-life portrayal of Jibreel Khazan (then known as Ezell Blair Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond, four NC A&T students who became known as the "Greensboro Four" for their sit-in at Woolworth's department store in 1960. Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities 2023 |. King's words had made a huge impact with Khazan, so much so that he later remarked that "he could feel his heart palpitating" and that the words of King "brought tears to his eyes. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. Each of the participants in the sit-in had different catalysts, but it is clear that the four men had a close friendship that mutually reinforced their desire to act. Jibreel Khazan (now Ezell Blair Jr.) was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. It was during his freshman year that Khazan and his roommate, Joseph McNeil; along with two other associates, Franklin McCain and David Richmond, devised a plan to protest against the policies of the segregated lunch counter at the downtown Greensboro F. W. Woolworth's store. The university. The white waiter refused and suggested they order a take-out meal from the "stand-up" counter. The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . Robert C. Maynard, the first African American editor and owner of a major daily newspaper in the United States, was known as a trailblazing journalist who led efforts to desegregate newsrooms and educ Duke Ellington, byname of Edward Kennedy Ellington, (born April 29, 1899, Washington, D.C., U.S.died May 24, 1974, New York, N.Y.), American pianist who was the greatest jazz composer and bandleade Frances role in the Trans Atlantic Slave, African Chiefs role in the Trans Atlantic, sit-in protest at Woolworths lunch counter, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. [4] It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. But the acts of intimidation didnt stop the movement from building. They told him to do what he must and to carry himself with dignity and grace. All Rights Reserved. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of denying service to non-white customers. Woolworth. Khazan also recalls an American Civics teacher, Mrs. McCullough, who told her class Were preparing you for the day when you will have equal rights., He was also influenced by Martin Luther King Jr. Though many of the protesters were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, their actions made an immediate and lasting impact, forcing Woolworths and other establishments to change their segregationist policies. The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest that started in 1960, when young African American students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave after being denied service. READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement: A Timeline. [10] On October 12, 2021, Khazan was honored with the renaming of a city park in the west end of New Bedford, MA. His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. Martin Luther King Jr. to join them in integrating the cafeteria at Richs Department Store in Atlanta in 1960, Guzmn says. The Belles resolved to serve as look-outs when the four men took their seats at the lunch counter on the first day. Together they have three children. SNCC worked alongside the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to push passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and would later mount an organized resistance to the Vietnam War. On Feb. 1, 1960 four Black freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., and David Richmond, took seats at the segregated lunch counter of F. W. Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C. On Feb. 1, 1960, freshmen David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan) sat at F.W. [3] His father was a member of the NAACP and very vocal on the subject of racial injustices and "things naturally rubbed off on me", described Khazan in a 1974 interview. David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's freshman college roommate, died in 1990. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it difficult to get a job in Greensboro. Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro to protest segregation. There were also sit-ins in Philadelphia, Baltimore, St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri, says John L. Swaine, CEO of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. The sit-ins not only attracted new protesters, they also drew counter-protesters who showed up to harass, insult and assault them. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. A&T freshmen Ezell Blair Jr. (now known as Jibreel Khazan), Joseph McNeil and the late David Richmond and Franklin McCain ignited a movement at the segregated downtown F.W. By the early 1970s, SNCC had lost much of its mainstream support and was effectively disbanded. Movies. She is the author of Toni Morrison's Spiritual Vision and other books. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. He changed his name to Jibreel Khazan and became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. All Rights Reserved. In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. The February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. While lunch counter sit-ins had taken place before, the four young men from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University drew national attention to the cause. See MoreSee Less. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. As demonstrations spread to 13 states, the focus of the sit-ins expanded, with students not only protesting segregated lunch counters but also segregated hotels, beaches and libraries. It's honored with a Google Doodle. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. On February 1, 1960, four Black college freshmen, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. and David Richmond, sat down at a "whites-only" Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. and politely asked for service. Over the next few years, SNCC served as one of the leading forces in the civil rights movement, organizing Freedom Rides through the South in 1961 and the historic March on Washington in 1963, at which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his seminal I Have a Dream speech. Each of the participants in the sit-in had different catalysts, but it is clear that the four men had a close friendship that mutually reinforced their desire to act. in sociology in 1963. He married the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. The Greensboro sit-in took place in Greensboro, North Carolina, and has echoes of Rosa Parks and other symbolic moments that eventually helped end segregation in the United States. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Report Video . McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. Blair then moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he became a member of the New England Islamic Center in 1968 and took on his present name of Jibreel Khazan. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. Lunch counter sit-ins then moved beyond Greensboro to North Carolina cities such as Charlotte, Durham and Winston-Salem. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. was born on October 18, 1941 and is 81 years old now. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. Death Fact Check Ezell is alive and kicking and is currently 81 years old. The Greensboro Sit-In was a critical turning point in Black history and American history, bringing the fight for civil rights to the national stage. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Greensboro sit-in, act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1, 1960. In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. As of 2018 Ezell Blair is 76 years years old.

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