2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. They also took inspiration from civil rights causes of years earlier, including the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycott. 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. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. was born on October 18, 1941 and is 81 years old now. Ezell Blair, Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond organized the sit-in. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 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 [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 had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it difficult to get a job in Greensboro. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. and received a B.S. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities 2023 |. It's honored with a Google Doodle. His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? 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. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ), referred to as Izell Blair inWho Speaks for the Negro?, is an American civil rights activist. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. 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. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. Death Fact Check Ezell is alive and kicking and is currently 81 years old. 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. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. 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. The white waiter refused and suggested they order a take-out meal from the "stand-up" counter. 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 page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. After the Greensboro sit-ins, Blair became a prominent civil rights activist and organizer. TV Shows. But the acts of intimidation didnt stop the movement from building. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. The Greensboro sit-in is the subject of a Google Doodle on February 1, 2020 for the 60th anniversary of the action. according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. 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. "[5], In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. 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. SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. 0 54. Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. Google says they were also influenced by the techniques of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [5] Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. He was 49 years old when he died in 1990 and received a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from At&T State University. Joseph McNeil earned a degree in engineering physics in 1963 and joined the U.S. Air Force, where he became a captain. 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. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. [4] Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter, Taylor, who asked him to define freedom. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. 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. 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. They also worked with the NAACP to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. The Belles resolved to serve as look-outs when the four men took their seats at the lunch counter on the first day. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. ", 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. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. 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. No one would serve them. Movies. He was a student government leader. All Rights Reserved. The Greensboro sit-in wasnt a random act of rebellion, but the result of months of planning. 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. 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. A Greensboro native, he graduated from Dudley High School and received a . [5] His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? 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. 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. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. 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. Ezell A. Blair Jr. was one of the four African American college students who initiated the sit-in protest at Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960. By Birth Year | By Birth Month | By Death Year | By Death Month | Random, Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. 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. [4] It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up. 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. Ezell Blair is a member of famous Activist list. 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. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. Today In HistoryRobert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune on this date April 30, 1983. But they did not move. 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. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout 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. 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. In some cases, they may conflict with strongly held cultural values, beliefs or restrictions. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. Recommended Citation. None of it deterred the protesters. 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. 0. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Menu. What sparked the Greensboro Four, as the students were known, to take such courageous action? They waited some more. [3][8] Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. 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. 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. 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. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworths, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. auth streamotion com au activate login,
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