The Start of a Movement
Thousands Gather for 50th Anniversary March, Museum Opening
Fifty years ago, on Feb. 1, 1960, four North Carolina A&T students took a stand against segregation by sitting down at a F.W. Woolworth store counter. This simple act by four freshmen, now known as the A&T Four or the Greensboro Four, inspired students in North Carolina — and around the country. The A&T 4 Now: David Richmond (died Dec. 7, 1990), Joseph McNeil, Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr.) and Franklin E. McCain.
Unsung Heroes Honored at Luncheon
Three of the original “A&T Four” returned to their alma mater Friday to be honored along with lesser-known pioneers at an “Unsung Heroes” luncheon, one of many events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sit-ins in downtown Greensboro, N.C.
Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr.), Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil were honored with a commemorative plaque in honor of their courageous act in 1960. David Richmond, the fourth member of the group, died in 1990 of lung cancer.
“Keep the light of freedom burning brightly in our hearts,” Khazan said during his remarks. Khazan, McCain and McNeil each said a few words to the audience about their role in the Civil Rights Movement as well as the importance of recognizing those who do not get the credit they deserve for their contributions. More
Panelists From Jesse Jackson to Stephen A. Smith Debate Activism
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux and journalists Ed Gordon and Stephen A. Smith debated leadership and activism Thursday night with other participants of a two-part town hall discussion at North Carolina A&T State University, the first of a series of events in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro sit-ins.
Jackson spearheaded the first panel with a heated discussion of what drove activism in the past and what is missing in the current generation.
“Youth today don’t appreciate how humiliating segregation was,” Jackson, a 1964 A&T graduate, told the audience of more than 500 people gathered in the Alumni Foundations Events Center. “The students at A&T and Bennett couldn’t use a downtown toilet when I was younger. We couldn’t rent a room at the Holiday Inn. Since that time, things have changed and this generation doesn’t remember that.” More
“Mississippi Mourning: The Emmett Till Story” Stirs Audience
Anxious whispers from the audience transformed into dead silence as the softly lit auditorium turned pitch black. All of the sudden, search lights beamed on the lower level of North Carolina A&T’s Harrison Auditorium. A group of terrified boys ripped through the balcony — panting, stumbling, yelling at each other to keep moving. A snowstorm was brewing in Greensboro that night, but the only thing on students’ minds was why those boys were running.
As the boys disappeared then reappeared on the lower level of the packed auditorium, viewers on the balcony edged over the railing, straining their necks to find out why those boys were running so hysterically … as if their lives were at stake. The audience would later find out their lives were in danger, and the youngest of the four would not live to see daylight again.
“Mississippi Mourning: The Emmett Till Story” brings to life the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till who was accused of whistling at a white woman. Writer and director Kevin Wilson Jr. wrote “Mississippi Mourningî for a high school project when he was only 14. He felt Till’s story was a historically significant event that has been hidden. More
Students Debate Obama’s 1st Year, Haiti and Katrina
Howard University students recently participated in a panel discussion about activism at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C.
The panelists included four A&T students: Syene Jasmin, Felicia Lawrence, Kevin Moore and Dexter Mullins. Christopher Bridges, Kendall Givens-Little, Brittani Moncrease and Zelena Williams represented Howard.
On Deadline: A Blog for Howard University News Service 