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. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. All Rights Reserved. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. 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. By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. 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. [5] Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. The Greensboro sit-in wasnt a random act of rebellion, but the result of months of planning. They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. Jibreel Khazan (now Ezell Blair Jr.) was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. Another critical part of the protest was looping in the media. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. Google He was a student government leader. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were taking place in a lot of places before Greensboro., READ MORE: Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against 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 year was 1960, and segregation raged throughout the country, but the students decided they had had enough. 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. The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. The store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. 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. But they did not move. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. By the early 1970s, SNCC had lost much of its mainstream support and was effectively disbanded. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. They have three children, one of whom graduated from A & T. Do you find this information helpful? It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. For starters, according to History.com, they were upset about the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, who was slain after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. None of it deterred the protesters. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. But the students did not budge. He was a student government leader. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. In some cases, they may conflict with strongly held cultural values, beliefs or restrictions. Menu. 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. Four years later, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would mandate all businesses to desegregate. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. ", 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. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up." 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. 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. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Updated: January 29, 2021 | Original: July 28, 2020. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. All four were students from North. 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. They were students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness. The Belles resolved to serve as look-outs when the four men took their seats at the lunch counter on the first day. As its members faced increased violence, however, SNCC became more militant, and by the late 1960s it was advocating the Black Power philosophy of Stokely Carmichael (SNCCs chairman from 1966-67) and his successor, H. Rap Brown. Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. [9] In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. Greensboro sit-in, act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1, 1960. The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. 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. 0 54. We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. 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. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Nadra Nittle is a veteran journalist who is currently the education reporter for The 19th. 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. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. Report Video . Jibreel Khazan (previously Ezell Blair, Jr). Get the latest news, sports and weather delivered straight to your inbox. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. The white waiter refused and suggested they order a take-out meal from the "stand-up" counter. Heavy television coverage of the Greensboro sit-ins sparked a sit-in movement that quickly spread to college towns throughout the South and into the North, as young Black and white people joined in various forms of peaceful protest against segregation in libraries, beaches, hotels and other establishments. The Greensboro sit-in is the subject of a Google Doodle on February 1, 2020 for the 60th anniversary of the action. According to History.com, they also were influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and the Freedom Riders and their principles of non-violent protest. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. 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 four men who were denied service at a Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina, pose in front of the store on February 1, 1990. 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. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. A Greensboro native, he graduated from Dudley High School and received a . After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. 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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. 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. Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. 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. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it difficult to get a job in Greensboro. She is the author of Toni Morrison's Spiritual Vision and other books. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. All four were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. Frye Gaillard, The Greensboro Four: Civil Rights Pioneers (Charlotte, N.C.: Main Street Rag Publishing Co., 2001); William H. Chafe, Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Black Struggle for Freedom (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980). 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. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. Martin Luther King Jr. to join them in integrating the cafeteria at Richs Department Store in Atlanta in 1960, Guzmn says. 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. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. 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 Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. 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. The Greensboro Four, as they became known, had also been spurred to action by the brutal murder in 1955 of a young Black boy, Emmett Till, who had allegedly whistled at a white woman in a Mississippi store. 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. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. 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 February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. 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. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Updated: January 25, 2022 | Original: February 4, 2010. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 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. The protests, and the subsequent events were major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. After nearly a week of protests, approximately 1,400 students showed up to the Greensboro Woolworth to demonstrate. 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.". 20072023 Blackpast.org. Touring history with Avett Brothers' bassist Bob Crawford. 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. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. 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. Jan 27, 2020. 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. See MoreSee Less. They told him to do what he must and to carry himself with dignity and grace. Google says they were also influenced by the techniques of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . Ezell A. Blair, Jr. Death Fact Check Ezell is alive and kicking and is currently 81 years old. Together they have three children. 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. 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. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. Download it here. The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. 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. No one would serve them. His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, 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 denying service to non-white customers.
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