Today is the start of Black History month. Although now we celebrate our achievements throughout the month of February, in the beginning, African Americans celebrated our achievements during the 2nd week of February. Known as “Negro History Week,” it was Carter G. Woodson who first proposed it in 1926. He choose the second week because of President Lincoln’s birthday, which fell on the 12th and also Frederick Douglass, who was born on the 14th. The newly freed African Americans had begun celebrating these two men’s birthday around the late 1800’s.
On this day, February 1, 1960, the modern era of civil rights began in Greensboro, North Carolina. Four men, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and David Richmond were the first to bring their protest to a national audience. All were young black students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. and his practice of non-violent protest, they wanted to change the segregationist policies of the Woolworth in Greensboro. The students sat down at a lunch counter and politely asked for service. Their request was refused. When told to leave, they remained in their seats. Their passive resistance and peaceful sit-down, helped ignite a youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality throughout the South. Although there were other sit-ins, as early as 1939, the Greensboro sit-in is the best known, primarily because it happened at the dawn of television and was broadcast daily. At 4:30 pm, the four sat down at the lunch counter inside the Woolworth store at 132 South Elm Street in Greensboro. The men had purchased toothpaste and other products from a desegregated counter at the store with no problems, and then were refused service at the store’s lunch counter when they each asked for a cup of coffee. Following store policy, staff refused to serve the black men at the “whites only” counter and store manager Clarence Harris asked them to leave. They stayed until the store closed. As I said, with the advent of television coverage, by the 4th day they were joined by more than 300 people, as word of the protest began to filter thru the community. Students began boycotting other stores with segregated lunch counters. Sales at the boycotted stores dropped by a third. On Monday, July 25, 1960, after nearly $200,000 in losses ($1.7 million today), store manager Clarence Harris asked three black employees to change out of their work clothes and order a meal at the counter. They were, quietly, the first to be served at a Woolworth lunch counter. Most stores were soon desegregated, though in Nashville and Jackson Tennessee, Woolworth’s continued to be segregated until around 1965. Clarence Harris remained at the Greensboro store until his retirement in 1969. He died in 1999.
Joseph McNeil joined the Air Force in 1963, after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics from North Carolina A&T. After 37 years of distinguished service, he retired at the rank of major general in 2000. Mr. McNeil is 79 years old.
Franklin Eugene McCain, after graduating from North Carolina A&T, McCain moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he worked at the Celanese Corporation, a chemical manufacturer for 35 years. McCain also served as a member of the boards of trustees for both North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central Universities; as well as the Board of Visitors of Bennett College; and the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. Mr. McCain died in 2014 from respiratory complications. He was 73.
Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. changed his name to Jibreel Khazan in 1968, after being labeled a troublemaker for his part in the Greensboro sit-in. A well known a civil rights activist, in 1991, Mr. Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. Along with the three other members of the Greensboro sit-in, each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. In 2010, Mr. Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Khazan is 79 years old.
David Leinail Richmond was also a civil right activist. After receiving a death threat, he was forced to leave Greensboro and relocated to Franklin, North Carolina. After nine years in Franklin, Mr. Richmond returned to Greensboro to care for his parents. The only one of the Greensboro Four to return, Mr. Richmond could not get a job after being labeled a “troublemaker.” He finally found work as a housekeeping porter for Greensboro Health Care Center. At the age of 49, Mr Richmond died of lung cancer and was posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities degree by North Carolina A&T.
Reprint: ©Hill1News 2018
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