Eventually the manager closed the store early and the men leftwith the rest of the customers. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. Updated: January 25, 2022 | Original: February 4, 2010. Powered by. 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. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. Ezell Blair is a member of famous Activist list. 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. They also did not give up their seats when a police officer arrived and menacingly slapped his nightstick against his hand directly behind them. [6], The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. It was a small victoryand one that would build. He went on to work with the developmentally disabled people for the CETA program in New Bedford, Mass. He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston and the Opportunities Industrialization Center and at the Rodman Job Corps Center, reports February One documentary. They were asked to leave. Hudgens had participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation against racial segregation on interstate buses. Khazan works with developmentally disabled people for the CETA program in New Bedford, Mass. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated. But the students did not budge. All four were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. The Greensboro Fours efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. 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. He lives in New York. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. He had been a high school track star and was born in Greensboro. 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. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it difficult to get a job in Greensboro. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. 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. Jibreel Khazan (previously Ezell Blair, Jr). He was a Major General in the Air Force Reserves and started diversity initiatives that changed the Air Force forever. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The next day, they returned to the store with more students and continued their sit-in protest. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. 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. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. 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. The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. 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. They were taking place in a lot of places before Greensboro., READ MORE: Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against Segregation. [10] On October 12, 2021, Khazan was honored with the renaming of a city park in the west end of New Bedford, MA. 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. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. See MoreSee Less. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques practiced by Mohandas Gandhi, as well as the Freedom Rides organized by the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) in 1947, in which interracial activists rode across the South in buses to test a recent Supreme Court decision banning segregation in interstate bus travel. The university. 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. Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. 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. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's freshman college roommate, died in 1990. Together they have three children. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice.[7]. in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. 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 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. Police arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. in sociology in 1963. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. 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. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. 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. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. The four North Carolina A & T students are (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil. 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. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch counter. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. 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 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 They waited. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness. In some cases, they may conflict with strongly held cultural values, beliefs or restrictions. His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. 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. The Greensboro sit-in wasnt a random act of rebellion, but the result of months of planning. in sociology in 1963. 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. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. 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. His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. 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 Its use of nonviolence inspired the Freedom Riders and others to take up the cause of integration in the South, furthering the cause of equal rights 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. 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 They were students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. 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. 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. As the week unfolded, dozens of young people, including students from the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, flocked to lunch counters and asked to be served. One of the original Greensboro Four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Education - Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. See MoreSee Less, Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957 Get the latest news, sports and weather delivered straight to your inbox. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. Greensboro sit-in, act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1, 1960. 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. Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. Ezell Blair, Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond organized the sit-in. [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. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. All Rights Reserved. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He then went into computer sales and worked as a stockbroker and commercial banker. Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. 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. Woolworth. 0. 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. This page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. 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. 0 54. 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. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. 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. A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up." 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 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. We provide access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. 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. They waited some more. Description. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. Today In HistoryRobert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune on this date April 30, 1983. 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. 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. The store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement: A Timeline. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. The students came to be called the Greensboro Four. 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. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities 2023 |. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. 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. Ezell Blair Jr. 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 . McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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. 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 A. Blair, Jr. was born on October 18, 1941 and is 81 years old now. In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.
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