Police arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. The Belles resolved to serve as look-outs when the four men took their seats at the lunch counter on the first day. He then went into computer sales and worked as a stockbroker and commercial banker. 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 waited some more. [3] In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. He changed his name to Jibreel Khazan and became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. 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. The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. A Greensboro native, he graduated from Dudley High School and received a . [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? In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. 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. 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. 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 store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. 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. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. They waited. 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. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. The Greensboro sit-ins are considered one of the biggest events of the Civil Rights Movement and set the standard for modern nonviolent protest and resistance. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 20072023 Blackpast.org. McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. [6], The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. Death Fact Check Ezell is alive and kicking and is currently 81 years old. Over the next few years, SNCC served as one of the leading forces in the civil rights movement, organizing Freedom Rides through the South in 1961 and the historic March on Washington in 1963, at which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his seminal I Have a Dream speech. 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. 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. 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. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. This page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. 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. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement: A Timeline. 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 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. 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. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. She is the author of Toni Morrison's Spiritual Vision and other books. Woolworth's whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro to protest segregation. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. Report Video . All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Google 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. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. According to History.com, they also were influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and the Freedom Riders and their principles of non-violent protest. By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. One of the original Greensboro Four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. Powered by. Police arrested 41 students for trespassing at a Raleigh Woolworth. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. The sit-ins establish a crucial kind of leadership and organizing of young people, says Jeanne Theoharis, a Brooklyn College political science professor. Touring history with Avett Brothers' bassist Bob Crawford. We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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. He was a student government leader. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Its success led to a wider sit-in movement, organized primarily by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), that spread throughout the South. What sparked the Greensboro Four, as the students were known, to take such courageous action? By the early 1970s, SNCC had lost much of its mainstream support and was effectively disbanded. 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. 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. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. They have three children, one of whom graduated from A & T. Do you find this information helpful? [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. The movement was about simple dignity, respect, access, equal opportunity, and most importantly the legal and constitutional concerns., READ MORE:8 Steps That Paved the Way to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston, the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and at the Rodman Job Corps Center. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. 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 Civil Rights Movement. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. All Rights Reserved. Jibreel Khazan (now Ezell Blair Jr.) was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. None of it deterred the protesters. 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. Get the latest news, sports and weather delivered straight to your inbox. [4] Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter, Taylor, who asked him to define freedom. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.)" (1961). But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Updated: January 29, 2021 | Original: July 28, 2020. 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. 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. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. 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. It's honored with a Google Doodle. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. 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. 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. They were taking place in a lot of places before Greensboro., READ MORE: Follow the Freedom Riders' Journey Against Segregation. 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. 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. 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. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC. His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, according to Carolina Theatre. [11], Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. was born on October 18, 1941 and is 81 years old now. 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. Description. Jibreel Khazan (previously Ezell Blair, Jr). He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. He was a student government leader. All four were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. Notes about review of interview transcripts with Carmichael, Ezell Blair, Lucy Thornton, and Jean Wheeler. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. In addition to desegregating dining establishments, the sit-ins led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh. His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. The Greensboro Fours efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. 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 university. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. They refused. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Today In HistoryRobert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune on this date April 30, 1983. 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. Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. The students came to be called the Greensboro Four. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The Greensboro Four, as they came to be known, acted to challenge the lunch counters refusal to serve African Americans. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. 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.. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Updated: January 25, 2022 | Original: February 4, 2010. A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. The Greensboro Four, as they became known, had also been spurred to action by the brutal murder in 1955 of a young Black boy, Emmett Till, who had allegedly whistled at a white woman in a Mississippi store. Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. 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 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. 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. All Rights Reserved. July 1, 2020. 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. and received a B.S. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. They also worked with the NAACP to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. "[5], In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. See MoreSee Less. 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. 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. 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. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated. Original materials provided by the University of Kentucky and Yale University libraries and digitized with the permission of the Warren estate. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. Together they have three children. Khazan works with developmentally disabled people for the CETA program in New Bedford, Mass. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ), referred to as Izell Blair inWho Speaks for the Negro?, is an American civil rights activist. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. David Richmond died young. 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. The year was 1960, and segregation raged throughout the country, but the students decided they had had enough. They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. in sociology in 1963. Four years later, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would mandate all businesses to desegregate. Movies. Then, the next day, they returned to do it all over again, according to CNN. [5] His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? They also took inspiration from civil rights causes of years earlier, including the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycott. The February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. 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.". 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. [3][8] Today Khazan is an oral historian, oracle, Mass-Star Story teller and lecturer. 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. 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. 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. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. After the Greensboro sit-ins, Blair became a prominent civil rights activist and organizer. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch. Another critical part of the protest was looping in the media. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. The four North Carolina A & T students are (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr., and Joseph McNeil. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. Jan 27, 2020. The sit-ins not only attracted new protesters, they also drew counter-protesters who showed up to harass, insult and assault them. All four were students from North. They had a strong Black community in Greensboro that was steeped in the struggle and willing to support young people by way of moral and financial support, says Prairie View A&M University History Professor Will Guzmn. The Greensboro sit-in wasnt a random act of rebellion, but the result of months of planning. 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.