In some cases, they may conflict with strongly held cultural values, beliefs or restrictions. The next day, they returned to the store with more students and continued their sit-in protest. All four were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated. 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. None of it deterred the protesters. 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 students came to be called the Greensboro Four. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. 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 also worked with the NAACP to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. David Richmond died young. He participated in Freedom Rides, voter registration drives, and other forms of nonviolent direct action to challenge segregation and promote equality and justice for all. 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. 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. See MoreSee Less, Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957 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. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. Police arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. 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. ", 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. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. Martin Luther King Jr. to join them in integrating the cafeteria at Richs Department Store in Atlanta in 1960, Guzmn says. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. The four North Carolina A & T students are (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil. 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. 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. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. 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. The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. Hudgens had participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation against racial segregation on interstate buses. On February 1, 1960, four college students - Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil - sat read more. Nadra Nittle is a veteran journalist who is currently the education reporter for The 19th. 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. 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. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. 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. 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. 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. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. [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. 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. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. We strive for accuracy and fairness. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. [3] In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. 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 [11], Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Biographies of the A&T Four Jibreel Khazan Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 18, 1941. 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. He married the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. by mcgorry. 0. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. Joseph McNeil earned a degree in engineering physics in 1963 and joined the U.S. Air Force, where he became a captain. Google North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.)" (1961). 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. 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. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, according to Carolina Theatre. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. 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. 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. The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . Updated: January 29, 2021 | Original: July 28, 2020. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. 0 54. 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. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. 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. 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. 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 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. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice.[7]. They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. 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. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. 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. 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. They waited some more. All four were students from North. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. By Birth Year | By Birth Month | By Death Year | By Death Month | Random, Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. They were taking place in a lot of places before Greensboro., READ MORE: Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against Segregation. 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 worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. Today In HistoryRobert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune on this date April 30, 1983. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. 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. Touring history with Avett Brothers' bassist Bob Crawford. 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. 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. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. Woolworth's store. 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. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Download it here. 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. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Eventually the manager closed the store early and the men leftwith the rest of the customers. He was a student government leader. The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. 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. "[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. Four years later, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would mandate all businesses to desegregate. Together they have three children. See MoreSee Less. Not only were lunch counters across the country integrated one by one, a student movement was galvanized. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. Led by four North Carolina A&T Students - Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Jibreel Khazan (then Ezell Blair, Jr.) and David Richmond, the nonviolent protests lasted over five months. Woolworth. The Greensboro sit-in wasnt a random act of rebellion, but the result of months of planning. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. They also took inspiration from civil rights causes of years earlier, including the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycott. The Greensboro sit-in. 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. 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. 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. Recommended Citation. 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. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. The store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice. 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 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? Did you know? At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. 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. 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. 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. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch counter. The protests, and the subsequent events were major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. in sociology in 1963. He then went into computer sales and worked as a stockbroker and commercial banker. [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. McCain was one of four N.C. A&T students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro in 1960. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. [5] His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? 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.
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