HBCUs have been an integral part of the fabric of America since 1837 and have continued to be a beacon of light for the country. HBCUs withstood racial violence from both private citizens and the state to survive and give America some of the greatest minds to ever grace US soil. On February 1, 1960 four young men from North Carolina A&T State University would etch their names in the history books for starting a movement which would forever change America. David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (Jibreel Khazan) and Joe McNeil staged a sit-in at Woolworth in Greensboro. Woolworth was a popular retail store that was notorious for refusing to serve black patrons at it's lunch counters.
On February 1, 1960 these young men decided to sit down at the "white only" lunch counter at Woolworth and were told that not only would they not be served but the police would be called. The young men however stayed that day until the store closed and return the next day with more students. By February 4th there were over 300 demonstrators which included students from North Carolina A&T, Bennett College, and historically black Dudley High School. The protest would grow to include over 1,400 students in just five days. On February 8th the sit-ins spread to Durham, Fayetteville, and Winston-Salem as students from North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central), Fayetteville State Teachers College (now Fayetteville State) and Winston-Salem Teachers College (now Winston-Salem State).
The sit-in movement would reach the state of Virginia on February 11th as Hampton University students would start to demonstrate and the sit-ins would reach the deep south on February 12th in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The very next day on February 13th, the sit-ins would go deeper into the South as demonstrations would start in Tallahassee and in Nashville. By the end of February the sit-in movement had reached over 8 states and 33 different cities.
The sit-in Movement gained so much momentum by March that President Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly addressed his concern for those fighting for their human and civil rights. As the sit-ins continued momentum from the HBCU students across the country only intensified and now Woolworth wasn't the only target. Segregated bus stations, department stores, and other establishments became sites for the sit-in movement. This moment had successfully become movement and forever changed the way lunch counters operated in the Jim Crow South.
Today a monument of those four young men stands on the campus of North Carolina A&T State. The Aggie football team began a tradition in 2012 of gathering at the monument before games and today that tradition still stands. It was a tradition started by former Head Football Coach Rod Broadway who wanted to remind his team of those who risked everything to have equal rights. Franklin McCain passed away in 2014 at the age of 73. David Richmond passed away in 1990 at only 49 years old. Today Ezell Blair Jr.(Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil are the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four.
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