N.C. A&T to Observe 62nd Sit-In Anniversary with Breakfast Celebration Feb. 1

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 31, 2022) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will celebrate the 62^nd anniversary of the A&T Four’s peaceful Feb. 1 sit-in at Woolworth’s Department Store with N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anita Earls.

The event, “62 Years in the Making: Increasing Our Stride” will take place Tuesday, Feb. 1, in the Deese Ballroom of the A&T Student Center. The celebration begins with breakfast at 7 a.m., followed by a program at 8 a.m., when Earls will speak virtually. 

The event will conclude with the laying of a memorial wreath at the February One monument on campus at 202 University Circle.

The historic Feb. 1, 1960, act of the A&T Four – Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.), Gen. Joseph McNeil, the late Franklin McCain and the late David Richmond – 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.

Last fall, the university announced its inaugural cohort of February One Scholars – 15 academically talented first-year undergraduates who are continuing the legacy of leadership and service that characterized the A&T Four. The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Education and the John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences partnered to establish the fully funded four-year scholarship program using a portion of philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s historic $45 million gift to the university.