CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. On Feb. 1, 1960, freshmen David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan) sat at F.W. It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up." He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. in sociology in 1963. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ), referred to as Izell Blair inWho Speaks for the Negro?, is an American civil rights activist. Nadra Nittle is a veteran journalist who is currently the education reporter for The 19th. [10] On October 12, 2021, Khazan was honored with the renaming of a city park in the west end of New Bedford, MA. This is the real beginnings of TV media; people can see the sit-in and imagine how they would do it themselves, said Theoharis, author of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. 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. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi. On February 1, 1960, David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), and Joe McNeil, four African American students from North Carolina A&T State University, staged a sit-in in Greensboro at Woolworth, a popular retail store that was known for refusing to serve African Americans at its lunch counter. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro to protest segregation. After nearly a week of protests, approximately 1,400 students showed up to the Greensboro Woolworth to demonstrate. They were asked to leave. TV Shows. 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 We provide access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. They waited. In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. The university. Notes about review of interview transcripts with Carmichael, Ezell Blair, Lucy Thornton, and Jean Wheeler. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. Report Video . 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. 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. Ezell Blair, Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond organized the sit-in. Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Police arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. He was elected president of the junior class, and would later become president of the school's student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress for Racial Equality. He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement: A Timeline. Together they have three children. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. The protests, and the subsequent events were major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice.[7]. 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 All Rights Reserved. 0 54. David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's freshman college roommate, died in 1990. in sociology in 1963. Today In HistoryRobert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune on this date April 30, 1983. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. He married the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. The February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch counter. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.)" (1961). ", North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "FebruaryOne: The Story of the Greensboro Four", "50 years later, Greensboro Four get Smithsonian award for civil rights actions", "New Bedford Must Lift Up Celebration of Dr. Jibreel Khazan With a Statue", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ezell_Blair_Jr.&oldid=1143803857, This page was last edited on 10 March 2023, at 00:30. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. This was a forerunner to the 1961 Freedom Rides, just as the 1942 sit-in at the Jack Spratt Coffee House in Chicago was a forerunner to the Greensboro sit-in of 1960. 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. Another critical part of the protest was looping in the media. It may be easy to think that the sit-ins were about eating next to white people or about a hotdog and a coke, but, of course, it was more complex than that, Guzmn says. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. He was 49 years old when he died in 1990 and received a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from At&T State University. But they did not move. Not only were lunch counters across the country integrated one by one, a student movement was galvanized. They were students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. But the students did not budge. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. [5] Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. Khazan works with developmentally disabled people for the CETA program in New Bedford, Mass. Part of the original counter is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Blair, Richmond, McCain and McNeil planned their protest carefully, and enlisted the help of a local white businessman, Ralph Johns, to put their plan into action. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. The Greensboro Fours efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. All Rights Reserved. Image: Original caption: 2/1/1960 - Greensboro, NC: The participants in the first lunch counter sit-in are shown on the street after leaving the Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth's by a side exit. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. 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. According to History.com, they also were influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and the Freedom Riders and their principles of non-violent protest. Ezell Blair is a member of famous Activist list. It is reported that as a nine-year-old he boasted to friends that he would one day drink from the white peoples fountains and eat at their lunch counters. Blair was the most uncertain of the four who decided to stage the Woolworth protest, and recalls calling his parents to ask their advice. The Greensboro sit-ins are considered one of the biggest events of the Civil Rights Movement and set the standard for modern nonviolent protest and resistance. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. What sparked the Greensboro Four, as the students were known, to take such courageous action? Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. It was a small victoryand one that would build. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 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. His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. He was a student government leader. He lives in New York. The protests played a definitive role in the Civil Rights movement because they sparked additional protests, eventually making the movement too large to ignore, Google says. and received a B.S. Biographies of the A&T Four Jibreel Khazan Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 18, 1941. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. The students came to be called the Greensboro Four. Greensboro sit-in, act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1, 1960. They waited some more. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. By the early 1970s, SNCC had lost much of its mainstream support and was effectively disbanded. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), first sit-ins during the civil rights movement, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. 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. The Greensboro sit-in is the subject of a Google Doodle on February 1, 2020 for the 60th anniversary of the action. SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. Updated: January 29, 2021 | Original: July 28, 2020. Did you know? The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. 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. The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. They also did not give up their seats when a police officer arrived and menacingly slapped his nightstick against his hand directly behind them. Word quickly spread about the Greensboro sit-in, and both North Carolina A&T and Bennett College students took part in the sit-in the next day. One of the original Greensboro Four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. The Greensboro sit-in was a major moment in the American civil rights movement when young African-American students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworths lunch counter in North Carolina. 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. 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. The former Woolworth's in Greensboro now houses the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, which features a restored version of the lunch counter where the Greensboro Four sat. But the acts of intimidation didnt stop the movement from building. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it difficult to get a job in Greensboro. He graduated from James B. Dudley High School in 1959 and began his freshman year at A&T College having received an A&T College Alumni Association Scholarship. Updated: January 25, 2022 | Original: February 4, 2010. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. 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 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. [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. Download it here. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. Death Fact Check Ezell is alive and kicking and is currently 81 years old. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. As of 2018 Ezell Blair is 76 years years old. He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston, the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and at the Rodman Job Corps Center. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. 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. 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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. This page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. All Rights Reserved. He was elected president of the junior class, and would later become president of the school's student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress for Racial Equality. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! He never strayed very far from the example of his parents, who were active in the civil rights movement, or the lessons of the people he had known as a child growing up in the south. His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? In response to the success of the sit-in movement, dining facilities across the South were being integrated by the summer of 1960. 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. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. by mcgorry. He went on to work for Celanese Corporation in Charlotte, North Carolina for 35 years, and he stayed active in the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. [9] In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. 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. Menu. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 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. Together they have three children. 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. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. The four North Carolina A & T students are (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil. 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 By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. Google At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. 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. His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, according to Carolina Theatre. Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). 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. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. 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. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. 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. 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. They also worked with the NAACP to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. 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. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Joseph McNeil earned a degree in engineering physics in 1963 and joined the U.S. Air Force, where he became a captain. They refused. Google says they were also influenced by the techniques of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 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. He served on university boards and received an honorary doctorate, according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. Martin Luther King Jr. to join them in integrating the cafeteria at Richs Department Store in Atlanta in 1960, Guzmn says. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.". "[5] 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.[1], He was also influenced by Martin Luther King Jr. Original materials provided by the University of Kentucky and Yale University libraries and digitized with the permission of the Warren estate. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. We even had people who saw the sit-ins that were taking place at the lunch counter drive from other states to come down here, Swaine says. By Birth Year | By Birth Month | By Death Year | By Death Month | Random, Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright. The Greensboro sit-in wasnt a random act of rebellion, but the result of months of planning. Ezell Blair, Sr. and his wife, Corene, were the parents of Jibreel Khazan, (Ezell A. Blair Jr.) one of the four North Carolina A&T State University students who participated in the first sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro on February 1, 1960. Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 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. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. [4] It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up. Multiple lunch counter sit-ins had taken place in the Midwest, East Coast and South in the 1940s and 1950s, but these demonstrations didnt garner national attention. Description. 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.

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