He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. 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 Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960. 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. 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. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. February One: The Story of the Greensboro Sit-In | C-SPAN.org He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques practiced by Mohandas Gandhi, as well as the Freedom Rides organized by the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) in 1947, in which interracial activists rode across the South in buses to test a recent Supreme Court decision banning segregation in interstate bus travel. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! They have three children, one of whom graduated from A & T. Do you find this information helpful? They also did not give up their seats when a police officer arrived and menacingly slapped his nightstick against his hand directly behind them. He married the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Robert C. Maynard, the first African American editor and owner of a major daily newspaper in the United States, was known as a trailblazing journalist who led efforts to desegregate newsrooms and educ Duke Ellington, byname of Edward Kennedy Ellington, (born April 29, 1899, Washington, D.C., U.S.died May 24, 1974, New York, N.Y.), American pianist who was the greatest jazz composer and bandleade Frances role in the Trans Atlantic Slave, African Chiefs role in the Trans Atlantic, sit-in protest at Woolworths lunch counter, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957. 0 54. The Greensboro sit-in was a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement. Notes about review of interview transcripts with Carmichael, Ezell Blair, Lucy Thornton, and Jean Wheeler. WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. He was a student government leader. 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. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. 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. In 1963, Khazan graduated from A&T College with a Bachelor's degree in sociology and Social Studies. Google says they were also influenced by the techniques of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. The protests played a definitive role in the Civil Rights movement because they sparked additional protests, eventually making the movement too large to ignore, Google says. Jibreel Khazan (now Ezell Blair Jr.) was one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. He graduated from James B. Dudley High School in 1959 and began his freshman year at A&T College having received an A&T College Alumni Association Scholarship. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. - Facts, Bio, Favorites, Info, Family 2021 (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). The university. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Did you know? Hudgens had participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation against racial segregation on interstate buses. But the students did not budge. in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. McCain was one of four N.C. A&T students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro in 1960. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. On February 1st, 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina, four A&T freshmen students, Ezell Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond walked downtown and "sat - in" at the whites-only lunch counter at F.W. February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four - PBS A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. All Rights Reserved. It took months, but on July 25, 1960, the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter was finally integrated. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. [9] In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. The sit-ins establish a crucial kind of leadership and organizing of young people, says Jeanne Theoharis, a Brooklyn College political science professor. [10] On October 12, 2021, Khazan was honored with the renaming of a city park in the west end of New Bedford, MA. He was a student government leader. Greensboro Four Biography | Infoplease The Greensboro Fours efforts inspired a sit-in movement that eventually spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Ezell Blair Jr. 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 . In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. Eventually the manager closed the store early and the men leftwith the rest of the customers. 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. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 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. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. Google See MoreSee Less, Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957 No one would serve them. The white waiter refused and suggested they order a take-out meal from the "stand-up" counter. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. 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.. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. Facts to Know About the Greensboro Four and Sit-In Movement - Spectrum News "[5], In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. Greensboro sit-in - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. [6], The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. He changed his name to Jibreel Khazan and became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. 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. 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. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.)" (1961). In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. 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 Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. Description. 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. Read more, Greensboro Voices: Voicing Observations in Civil Rights and Equality struggles, Greensboro Public Library (Greensboro, N.C.), Oral history interview with Ezell and Corene Blair, Records that have the exact phrase Montgomery Bus Boycott, Records with the word integration that also contain the words Albany and/or Augusta, Records with the name King but not the name Martin, Records containing the phrase Freedom Rides and the name Carter, Records containing the words Selma and Lewis or Selma and Williams, Use quotation marks to search as a phrase, Use "+" before a term to make it required (Otherwise results matching only some of your terms may be included), Use "-" before a word or phrase to exclude, Use "OR", "AND", and "NOT" (must be capitalized) to create complex boolean logic, You can use parentheses in your complex expressions, Truncation and wildcards are not supported. 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. He lives in New York. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. Together they have three children. Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com 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 In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. in sociology in 1963. 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. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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