[11], Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Image: Original caption: 2/1/1960 - Greensboro, NC: The participants in the first lunch counter sit-in are shown on the street after leaving the Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth's by a side exit. 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. 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 . 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. The university. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. While lunch counter sit-ins had taken place before, the four young men from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University drew national attention to the cause. Part of the original counter is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Blair, Richmond, McCain and McNeil planned their protest carefully, and enlisted the help of a local white businessman, Ralph Johns, to put their plan into action. 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. Description. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. It was during his freshman year that Khazan and his roommate, Joseph McNeil; along with two other associates, Franklin McCain and David Richmond, devised a plan to protest against the policies of the segregated lunch counter at the downtown Greensboro F. W. Woolworth's store. He married the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. 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. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. was born on October 18, 1941 and is 81 years old now. On Feb. 1, 1960, freshmen David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan) sat at F.W. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. 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. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. Updated: January 29, 2021 | Original: July 28, 2020. They were asked to leave. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. Biographies of the A&T Four Jibreel Khazan Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 18, 1941. But the students did not budge. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. 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. Greensboro Four | NCpedia The Greensboro sit-in. Greensboro Sit-In: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 was elected president of the junior class, and would later become president of the school's student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress for Racial Equality. The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. Activist Ella Baker, then director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, organized the youth-centered groups first meeting. He was a Major General in the Air Force Reserves and started diversity initiatives that changed the Air Force forever. McNeil worked in the university library with a fellow activist, Eula Hudgens, who encouraged him to protest. 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. The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . Touring history with Avett Brothers' bassist Bob Crawford. It was during his freshman year that Khazan and his roommate, Joseph McNeil; along with two other associates, Franklin McCain and David Richmond, devised a plan to protest against the policies of the segregated lunch counter at the downtown Greensboro F. W. Woolworth's store. 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. "[5], In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. Facts to Know About the Greensboro Four and Sit-In Movement - Spectrum News 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 three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. 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. 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. 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. He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston, the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and at the Rodman Job Corps Center. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. By Birth Year | By Birth Month | By Death Year | By Death Month | Random, Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright. In response to the success of the sit-in movement, dining facilities across the South were being integrated by the summer of 1960. [5] His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it difficult to get a job in Greensboro. On February 1, 1960, four Black college freshmen, Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. and David Richmond, sat down at a "whites-only" Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. and politely asked for service. The Greensboro sit-in was a major moment in the American civil rights movement when young African-American students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworths lunch counter in North Carolina. Then, the next day, they returned to do it all over again, according to CNN. Powered by. 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. Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. He served on university boards and received an honorary doctorate, according to the Civil Rights Digital Library. Ezell Blair is a member of famous Activist list. He continued his education at Massachusetts University and later at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice.[7]. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. 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. TV Shows. 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.". [4] It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up. In 1960, 4 young men sat at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown 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. 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 Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr.), one of the Greensboro Four Another critical part of the protest was looping in the media. His breaking point was when he was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro bus terminal, according to Carolina Theatre. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. 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. "[5] 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.[1], He was also influenced by Martin Luther King Jr. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. The Greensboro Four were four young Black men who staged the first sit-in at Greensboro: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. We even had people who saw the sit-ins that were taking place at the lunch counter drive from other states to come down here, Swaine says. Greensboro sit-in, act of nonviolent protest against a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, that began on February 1, 1960. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. The protests, and the subsequent events were major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. Jibreel Khazan/Ezell Blair, Jr. (1941- ) - BlackPast.org Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. 0 54. His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? 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. This page was last modified on 24 April 2023, at 04:46. 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. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. All Rights Reserved. The Belles resolved to serve as look-outs when the four men took their seats at the lunch counter on the first day. 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. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch counter. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. in sociology in 1963. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Blair, Ezell Alexander, 1919-1997 - Civil Rights Digital Library - USG They also took inspiration from civil rights causes of years earlier, including the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the Montgomery bus boycott. Greensboro Four Biography | Infoplease The sit-ins not only attracted new protesters, they also drew counter-protesters who showed up to harass, insult and assault them. Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities 2023 |. Copyright: Jack Moebes/Corbis. 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. Ezell Blair Wiki, Biography, Net Worth, Age, Family, Facts and More Google Ezell Blair, Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond organized the sit-in. in sociology in 1963. They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. 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. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. 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. Ezell Blair begins this interview by describing his participation in the Greensboro student sit-in and describes the students Ezell Blair, Stokely Carmichael, Lucy Thornton and Jean Wheeler. The Greensboro sit-in was a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement. 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 The February One Monument is an important landmark on A&T's campus that sets it apart from other institutions. 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. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ), referred to as Izell Blair inWho Speaks for the Negro?, is an American civil rights activist. Ezell A. Blair Jr / SamePassage They also did not give up their seats when a police officer arrived and menacingly slapped his nightstick against his hand directly behind them. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. Their names were Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. ", North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "FebruaryOne: The Story of the Greensboro Four", "50 years later, Greensboro Four get Smithsonian award for civil rights actions", "New Bedford Must Lift Up Celebration of Dr. Jibreel Khazan With a Statue", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ezell_Blair_Jr.&oldid=1143803857, This page was last edited on 10 March 2023, at 00:30. They mean that young people are going to be one of the major driving forces in terms of how the civil rights movement is going to unfold., Listen to HISTORY This Week Podcast: Sitting in For Civil Rights. In addition to desegregating dining establishments, the sit-ins led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh. He had been a high school track star and was born in Greensboro. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Photo of Jibreel Khazan Receiving Award (Ezell Blair, Jr.)" (1961). He then went into computer sales and worked as a stockbroker and commercial banker. 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. Ezell Blair Jr. - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core No one would serve them. See MoreSee Less. He majored in business administration and accounting and became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. At that speech, King called for an escalation of nonviolent protests to end segregated accommodation. Nadra Nittle is a veteran journalist who is currently the education reporter for The 19th. How the Greensboro Four Sit-In Sparked a Movement - History Its use of nonviolence inspired the Freedom Riders and others to take up the cause of integration in the South, furthering the cause of equal rights in the United States. The A&T Four: February 1st, 1960 The store manager then approached the men, asking them to leave. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. Woolworth's store. February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four - PBS After graduation, He briefly studied law at Howard University Law School in Washington, DC.