N.C. A&T Celebrates 60th Anniversary of Sit-In

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Feb. 3, 2020) – Hundreds came to the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University on Friday morning to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the A&T Four’s peaceful sit-in at Woolworth’s Department Store to seek equal service.

The actions of freshmen Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond on Feb. 1, 1960, touched off similar demonstrations that reached at least 250 municipalities by the end of that month and marked a pivotal moment in the nation’s Civil Rights Movement.

Feb. 1 has additional significance as N.C. A&T was among the first to formally observe Negro History Week when it was initially celebrated Feb. 1, 1926. The annual observance ultimately led to the celebration of February as Black History Month beginning in 1976.

Khazan and McNeil, along with family members of each of the A&T Four, participated in Friday’s commemoration beginning with a breakfast program, “From the Lunch Counter to the Streets,” featuring guest speaker Roland Martin, an award-winning national journalist.

Martin, the host and managing editor of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, spoke about the importance of respecting and including those who have pioneered civil rights as well as the need for younger generations to build upon those foundations.

“You don’t need permission to stand up,” said Martin. “Some folks understand that you have to do something because it is right and it is just, and not about whether I am able to get a job later.”

Martin also stressed the importance of actively participating in government at every level and at all times, not just during crises.

“Every single thing that African Americans have gotten in this country has been because we’ve had to raise hell,” he said. “What is more American than the value of the right to vote?”

After Martin’s remarks, Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. reiterated the highlights of Martin’s message.

“I’ll start with the one that struck me very profoundly initially: ‘I don’t ask others. I ask myself,’” the chancellor said.

“As we move to a nation that is quickly becoming majority minority, we are losing our voices. I want you to remember that point as you leave today,” he said. “There is immense African American talent all across this nation. And we, universities like ours and our communities, must enable these talented young people to have a voice.”

N.C. A&T’s 2020 Human Rights Medal was awarded to U.S. Rep. Alma Adams ’68, Ph.D. She has spent more than three decades in public service as an elected official and was most recently elected in November 2018 to her third term representing the state’s 12^th Congressional District .

The medal, emblazoned with portraits of the A&T Four, is the university’s highest honor and has been bestowed every year since 2001 upon those who have endeavored to correct social injustice and have significantly contributed to the betterment of the world.

Adams said the theme of the event was befitting given the current political climate.

“‘From the lunch counter to the streets’ – that is so appropriate. And when you get in the streets, make sure you go to the polls,” said Adams. “But before you get there, make sure that you’re registered … because if you’re not registered, you can’t vote. You don’t vote, you’re not counted. If you’re don’t counted, guess what? You’re not going to be heard. And we need to make sure that we continue to be heard.”

Following the breakfast, a crowd that included students from Guilford County Schools gathered at the February One monument for the laying of two wreaths in memory of McCain, who died in January 2014, and Richmond, who died in December 1990.

Afterward, they convened in Harrison Auditorium for a panel discussion on voter registration and the 2020 Census moderated by Ray Trapp, the university’s director of external affairs.

Vashti Hinton, Triad College Coordinator for Common Cause NC, joined fellow N.C. A&T graduate Tylik McMillan, policy advisor for the National Action Network, current Student Government Association Attorney General Brenda Caldwell and Irving Zavaleta-Jiménez, NC Campus Compact assistant director, on the panel.

Each emphasized the significance of community engagement, both at voting booths and in the census, and advised following the example set by the A&T Four.

“If you believe in something, go for it,” said Hinton. “Push boundaries, push limits. You’ll find support.”