Together they have three children. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. 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. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. 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. 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. [4] Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter, Taylor, who asked him to define freedom. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. 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. [4] It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. - Dead or Kicking in sociology in 1963. The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . He was 49 years old when he died in 1990 and received a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from At&T State University. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. TV Shows. 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. [5] Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. By the early 1970s, SNCC had lost much of its mainstream support and was effectively disbanded. The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. 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. 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. Description. 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. 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. 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. [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? No one would serve them. Martin Luther King Jr. to join them in integrating the cafeteria at Richs Department Store in Atlanta in 1960, Guzmn says. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. Four years later, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would mandate all businesses to desegregate. Word quickly spread about the Greensboro sit-in, and both North Carolina A&T and Bennett College students took part in the sit-in the next day. 0. 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. 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. Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. 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. Jan 27, 2020. 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). 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. 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. Did you know? This page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. But the acts of intimidation didnt stop the movement from building. McCain was one of four N.C. A&T students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro in 1960. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Ezell Blair Jr. - Wikipedia [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. He was a Major General in the Air Force Reserves and started diversity initiatives that changed the Air Force forever. Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro to protest segregation. READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement: A Timeline. They refused. Touring history with Avett Brothers' bassist Bob Crawford. Greensboro sit-in, act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1, 1960. 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. He married the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. 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. 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. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. - Facts, Bio, Favorites, Info, Family 2021 All Rights Reserved. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. 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. 20072023 Blackpast.org. These materials may be graphic or reflect biases. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Jibreel Khazan (previously Ezell Blair, Jr). 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. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. He was a student government leader. Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina | Greensboro Four Monument He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. We provide access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston, the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and at the Rodman Job Corps Center. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. 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. By Birth Year | By Birth Month | By Death Year | By Death Month | Random, Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright. 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. February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four - PBS Greensboro Four | NCpedia "[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. 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. 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. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. 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. Original materials provided by the University of Kentucky and Yale University libraries and digitized with the permission of the Warren estate. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. SNCC also pushed King to take a more forceful stance against the war in Vietnam in 1967 and popularized the slogan Black Power! in 1966.. The February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. Notes about review of interview transcripts with Carmichael, Ezell Blair, Lucy Thornton, and Jean Wheeler. Facts to Know About the Greensboro Four and Sit-In Movement - Spectrum News Powered by. WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. Google Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. The next day, they returned to the store with more students and continued their sit-in protest. 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. Woolworth's store. 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. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 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. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ), referred to as Izell Blair inWho Speaks for the Negro?, is an American civil rights activist. The Greensboro sit-in is the subject of a Google Doodle on February 1, 2020 for the 60th anniversary of the action. 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. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. 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. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch 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. Ezell Blair Jr. Facts for Kids They also did not give up their seats when a police officer arrived and menacingly slapped his nightstick against his hand directly behind them. He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. 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. Blair, Ezell Alexander, 1919-1997 - Civil Rights Digital Library - USG [11], Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. The four men who were denied service at a Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina, pose in front of the store on February 1, 1990. The year was 1960, and segregation raged throughout the country, but the students decided they had had enough. Its success led to a wider sit-in movement, organized primarily by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), that spread throughout the South. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. He had been a high school track star and was born in Greensboro. Jibreel Khazan/Ezell Blair, Jr. (1941- ) - BlackPast.org 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. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. The Greensboro Fours efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. 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. When four Black students refused to move from a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960, nation-wide student activism gained momentum. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Ezell Blair Wiki, Biography, Net Worth, Age, Family, Facts and More 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. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice.[7]. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. The white waiter refused and suggested they order a take-out meal from the "stand-up" counter. Ezell Blair is a member of famous Activist list. 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. 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. 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. See MoreSee Less, Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957 Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. The sit-ins not only attracted new protesters, they also drew counter-protesters who showed up to harass, insult and assault them. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. As of 2018 Ezell Blair is 76 years years old. "[5], In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. In addition to desegregating dining establishments, the sit-ins led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh. In some cases, they may conflict with strongly held cultural values, beliefs or restrictions. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 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. In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. 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. 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. Eventually the manager closed the store early and the men leftwith the rest of the customers. A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. They told him to do what he must and to carry himself with dignity and grace. Download it here. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. Hudgens had participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation against racial segregation on interstate buses. 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. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. He then went into computer sales and worked as a stockbroker and commercial banker. 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. Get the latest news, sports and weather delivered straight to your inbox. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. The university. and received a B.S. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. 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. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. 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. Franklin McCain, one of 'the Greensboro Four,' dies - Winston-Salem Journal His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, according to Carolina Theatre. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. See MoreSee Less. Greensboro Four Biography | Infoplease 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. 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. Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. The students came to be called the Greensboro Four. [3] In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. Ezell Blair Jr. - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core 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. Google says they were also influenced by the techniques of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 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. 0 54. 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. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. 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. Jibreel Khazan (now Ezell Blair Jr.) was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. He changed his name to Jibreel Khazan and became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. They waited. It's honored with a Google Doodle. 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. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi. He lives in New York. The A&T Four: February 1st, 1960 They also worked with the NAACP to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. Lunch counter sit-ins then moved beyond Greensboro to North Carolina cities such as Charlotte, Durham and Winston-Salem. July 1, 2020. 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. (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). They were students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. 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. [3][8] Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. 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. David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's freshman college roommate, died in 1990. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 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. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. The four North Carolina A & T students are (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Franklin McCain - Wikipedia The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. Movies. A&T Four: A Closer Look | Digital Collections | North Carolina The sit-ins establish a crucial kind of leadership and organizing of young people, says Jeanne Theoharis, a Brooklyn College political science professor.

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