The Greensboro sit-in was a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement. 0 54. In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. 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. Blair, Ezell Alexander, 1919-1997 - Civil Rights Digital Library - USG None of it deterred the protesters. What sparked the Greensboro Four, as the students were known, to take such courageous action? North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.)" (1961). 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. [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? 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. See MoreSee Less, Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957 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. All Rights Reserved. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. How the Greensboro Four Sit-In Sparked a Movement - History 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. David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's freshman college roommate, died in 1990. 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. 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. Greensboro Four Biography | Infoplease 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. February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four - PBS Greensboro Four | NCpedia In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. Four years later, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would mandate all businesses to desegregate. 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. 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. 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. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. One member of the Greensboro Four, Joseph McNeil, resolved to integrate lunch counters after a 1959 trip to New York, a city where he hadnt encountered Jim Crow laws. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. Franklin McCain - Wikipedia Ezell Blair Jr. Facts for Kids According to History.com, they sat down and refused to leave, after having been denied service because of their race. 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 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. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice.[7]. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. He changed his name to Jibreel Khazan and became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. All Rights Reserved. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. 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. Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr.), one of the Greensboro Four They waited. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. The university. by mcgorry. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated. Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. It's honored with a Google Doodle. 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. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. - Dead or Kicking 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. 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. "[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. Movies. Jibreel Khazan (now Ezell Blair Jr.) was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. 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. The Greensboro sit-in is the subject of a Google Doodle on February 1, 2020 for the 60th anniversary of the action. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice. Today In HistoryRobert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune on this date April 30, 1983. 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. 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. David Richmond died young. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. 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. According to History.com, they also were influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and the Freedom Riders and their principles of non-violent protest. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. 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. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ezell Blair Jr. - IMDb In addition to desegregating dining establishments, the sit-ins led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh. The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro to protest segregation. 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 . BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. 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. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. 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), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, 1942 sit-in at the Jack Spratt Coffee House, Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against Segregation, Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, 1,400 students showed up to the Greensboro Woolworth, Police arrested 41 students for trespassing, Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated, integrating the cafeteria at Richs Department Store, 8 Steps That Paved the Way to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, https://www.history.com/news/greensboro-four-sit-in-civil-rights, How the Greensboro Four Sit-In Sparked a Movement. 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&T Four: A Closer Look | Digital Collections | North Carolina 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. He was 49 years old when he died in 1990 and received a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from At&T State University. Jibreel Khazan (previously Ezell Blair, Jr). Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. 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. 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. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. Nadra Nittle is a veteran journalist who is currently the education reporter for The 19th. Then, the next day, they returned to do it all over again, according to CNN. See MoreSee Less. [5] His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. All four were students from North. The sit-ins not only attracted new protesters, they also drew counter-protesters who showed up to harass, insult and assault them. [6], The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. 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. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. 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. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. They were asked to leave. 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. 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. 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. Facts to Know About the Greensboro Four and Sit-In Movement - Spectrum News Hudgens had participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation against racial segregation on interstate buses. Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . We strive for accuracy and fairness. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. 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. 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 arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. They also took inspiration from civil rights causes of years earlier, including the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycott. The protests, and the subsequent events were major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. He then went into computer sales and worked as a stockbroker and commercial banker. According to Google, hundreds of other protesters soon joined them, but the protesters faced a counter movement that included racial slurs being hurled in their direction and even were spit on and had food thrown on them. [3][8] Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. 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. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. 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 He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston, the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and at the Rodman Job Corps Center. February One: The Story of the Greensboro Sit-In | C-SPAN.org By Birth Year | By Birth Month | By Death Year | By Death Month | Random, Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright. Woolworth. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. On February 1, 1960, four college students - Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil - sat read more. But the students did not budge. 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. in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. Ezell Blair Jr. net worth and salary income estimation 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. Its success led to a wider sit-in movement, organized primarily by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), that spread throughout the South. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. Greensboro Sit-In - Facts, Date & Definition - History SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. He served on university boards and received an honorary doctorate, according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. On Feb. 1, 1960, freshmen David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan) sat at F.W. Franklin McCain, one of 'the Greensboro Four,' dies - Winston-Salem Journal He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. Ezell A. Blair Jr / SamePassage Description. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. | Who Speaks for the Negro? - Vanderbilt University This page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. They were taking place in a lot of places before Greensboro., READ MORE: Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against Segregation. Get the latest news, sports and weather delivered straight to your inbox. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. Though many were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, national media coverage of the sit-ins brought increasing attention to the civil rights movement. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 2023, Charter Communications, 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. Updated: January 25, 2022 | Original: February 4, 2010. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. 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. July 1, 2020. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. 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. 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. But the acts of intimidation didnt stop the movement from building. 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. The Greensboro Fours efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Another critical part of the protest was looping in the media. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. They refused. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, according to Carolina Theatre. 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. Recommended Citation. He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. Touring history with Avett Brothers' bassist Bob Crawford. No one would serve 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. A&T Four is more than a monument, it's a moment that - Andscape Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. Menu. (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). In 1960, 4 young men sat at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. [5] Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. Did you know? Ezell Blair, Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond organized the sit-in. 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. 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. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. 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. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. He had been a high school track star and was born in Greensboro. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. 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). The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. The February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Woolworth's store. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. They waited some more. TV Shows. [9] In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. By the early 1970s, SNCC had lost much of its mainstream support and was effectively disbanded. He lives in New York. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.) They also did not give up their seats when a police officer arrived and menacingly slapped his nightstick against his hand directly behind them. [3] In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies.
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