ezell blair jr facts

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. Four Black Woolworths employeesGeneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Bestwere the first to be served. READ MORE: Civil Rights Movement: A Timeline. 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. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Woolworth's store. 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. McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. is a well known Activist. Its success led to a wider sit-in movement, organized primarily by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), that spread throughout the South. He changed his name to Jibreel Khazan and became involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and other civil rights organizations. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. [9] In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. His name is now Jibreel Khazan. 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. 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 . His 1964 interview describes the Greensboro sit-ins in Chapter 5 of Who Speaks for the Negro? In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. Khazans courageous actions helped to bring attention to the injustices of segregation and inspired others to join the fight for civil rights. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworths quietly integrated its lunch counter. SNCC activists such as John Lewis took part in the 1961 Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1963 Freedom Summer effort. A&T freshmen Ezell Blair Jr. (now known as Jibreel Khazan), Joseph McNeil and the late David Richmond and Franklin McCain ignited a movement at the segregated downtown F.W. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. CNN.com describes what the students went through when they staged the Greensboro sit-in. 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 sit-ins establish a crucial kind of leadership and organizing of young people, says Jeanne Theoharis, a Brooklyn College political science professor. A Greensboro native, born in the city on October 18, 1941, Blair graduated from Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Recommended Citation. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. 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. In response to the success of the sit-in movement, dining facilities across the South were being integrated by the summer of 1960. Jibreel Khazan (previously Ezell Blair, Jr). The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest that started in 1960, when young African American students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave after being denied service. Together they have three children. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. Download it here. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. 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. Report Video . He was a student government leader. As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. Then, the next day, they returned to do it all over again, according to CNN. 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 McCain was one of four N.C. A&T students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro in 1960. 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. (No photographers were allowed into Woolworth's during this first protest; this is the only photo of all four original protesters together.). [11], Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. He later moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. 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 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. Digital archive created and designed by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt University. After graduating from A&T in 1963, Blair encountered difficulties finding a job in his native Greensboro. Ezell was born on October 18, 1941 in Greensboro, North Carolina.. Ezell is one of the famous and trending celeb who is popular for being a Activist. They told him to do what he must and to carry himself with dignity and grace. The Greensboro sit-in is the subject of a Google Doodle on February 1, 2020 for the 60th anniversary of the action. SNCC was pivotal in pushing the Rev. As of 2018 Ezell Blair is 76 years years old. But the students did not budge. 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. Joseph McNeil earned a degree in engineering physics in 1963 and joined the U.S. Air Force, where he became a captain. See MoreSee Less, Neighborhood children greet Ms. Gibson upon her return to Harlem after winning Wimbledon in 1957 These materials may be graphic or reflect biases. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. They waited some more. 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. 0 54. As demonstrations spread to 13 states, the focus of the sit-ins expanded, with students not only protesting segregated lunch counters but also segregated hotels, beaches and libraries. They refused to leave when denied service and stayed until the store closed. WATCH: The Civil Rights Movement on HISTORY Vault. Four years later, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 would mandate all businesses to desegregate. 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. But the acts of intimidation didnt stop the movement from building. 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. 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. He also has worked with the AFL/CIO Trade Council in Boston, the Opportunities Industrialization Center, and at the Rodman Job Corps Center. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. 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. 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. Eventually, they prevailed, and Woolworths stopped segregating its dining area on July 25th, 1960, Google reports. 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. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. They also worked with the NAACP to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed. She is the author of Toni Morrison's Spiritual Vision and other books. 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. 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. Woolworth. 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. 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. Ezell Blair Jr.. Self: February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four. We strive for accuracy and fairness. [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 Greensboro sit-in. He was 49 years old when he died in 1990 and received a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from At&T State University. 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. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, NBC News, The Atlantic, Business Insider and other outlets. Eventually the manager closed the store early and the men leftwith the rest of the customers. In 1959, Khazan graduated from James B. Dudley High School, and entered the A&T College of North Carolina. All Rights Reserved. Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Multiple lunch counter sit-ins had taken place in the Midwest, East Coast and South in the 1940s and 1950s, but these demonstrations didnt garner national attention. 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. It was a small victoryand one that would build. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. Ezell Blair, Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond organized the sit-in. 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. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. According to History.com, they also were influenced by Mohandas Gandhi and the Freedom Riders and their principles of non-violent protest. His life was threatened, so he moved to a mountain community, according to Carolina Theatre. GREENSBORO Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Heavy television coverage of the Greensboro sit-ins sparked a sit-in movement that quickly spread to college towns throughout the South and into the North, as young Black and white people joined in various forms of peaceful protest against segregation in libraries, beaches, hotels and other establishments. The Greensboro sit-in took place in Greensboro, North Carolina, and has echoes of Rosa Parks and other symbolic moments that eventually helped end segregation in the United States. The reaction was ugly in the short-term, but in the long-term the protests spread and made real change. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. Updated: January 29, 2021 | Original: July 28, 2020. 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. He was a Major General in the Air Force Reserves and started diversity initiatives that changed the Air Force forever. 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. They waited. He had been a high school track star and was born in Greensboro. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. They were influenced by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi. He had to move to Massachusetts because the publicity made it. By that time, Johns had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. 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. [4] Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter, Taylor, who asked him to define freedom. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 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. All Rights Reserved. This was a forerunner to the 1961 Freedom Rides, just as the 1942 sit-in at the Jack Spratt Coffee House in Chicago was a forerunner to the Greensboro sit-in of 1960. He was captivated as King addressed the audience in attendance. ", 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. From left to right: Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill, and David Richmond. 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. [1][2], Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. But they did not move. 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. 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. Counters in other cities did the same in subsequent months. He worked as a janitor and battled many demons, sad that he couldnt improve the world more than he had. He lives in New York. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. 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. In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. It's honored with a Google Doodle. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! They were all students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. A Greensboro native, he graduated from Dudley High School and received a . The students had received guidance from mentor activists and collaborated with students from Greensboro's all-women's Bennett College. By the spring of 1960 the sit-in movement spread to 54 cities in nine states in the South. Police arrived on the scene but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation. 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. They refused. In 1958, Khazan heard King speak at the local Bennett College. 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 The figures are depicted walking out of Woolworth's . All four were students from North. 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. 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. Ezell Blair is a member of famous Activist list. 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. 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.. Biographies of the A&T Four Jibreel Khazan Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair, Jr.) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 18, 1941. Some content (or its descriptions) found on this site may be harmful and difficult to view. The sit-in protest continued for several days and soon spread throughout the South, sparking a new phase of the Civil Rights Movement. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. Hudgens had participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation against racial segregation on interstate buses. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. They have three children, one of whom graduated from A & T. Do you find this information helpful? Jan 27, 2020. In addition to desegregating dining establishments, the sit-ins led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh. By the end of March 1960, the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. In three days, their numbers had swelled to 300. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ), referred to as Izell Blair inWho Speaks for the Negro?, is an American civil rights activist. The year was 1960, and segregation raged throughout the country, but the students decided they had had enough. in sociology from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 1963. All four were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College. The Greensboro sit-in was a major moment in the Civil Rights Movement. On February 1, 1960, Blair, along with McNeil, Franklin and Richmond, took the bold step of violating the Greensboro Woolworth's segregation policy. Menu. TV Shows. The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. 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. 20072023 Blackpast.org. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Click here to sign up for email and text alerts. In 2002, North Carolina A&T commissioned a statue to be sculpted honoring Khazan, along with the three other members of the A&T four: Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and David Richmond. The protests, and the subsequent events were major milestone in the Civil Rights Movement. [5] Khazan stated that he had seen a documentary on Mohandas Gandhi's use of "passive insistence" that had inspired him to act. About a dozen Bennett Belles were also arrested at area sit-ins. Not only were lunch counters across the country integrated one by one, a student movement was galvanized. Ezell Blair Jr. was the son of a teacher who received his B.S. 0. 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. At the time of the protest, he was a student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he was studying engineering. 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, 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. Another critical part of the protest was looping in the media. Birthday: October 18, 1941 How Old - Age: 81 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. 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. 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. Sit-in demonstrations by Black college students grew at the Woolworth's in Greensboro and other local stores, February 6, 1960. 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. See MoreSee Less, Today In HistoryEdward Kennedy Duke Ellington, the legendary composer and bandleader, was born in Washington, DC, on April 29, 1899. The sit-ins not only attracted new protesters, they also drew counter-protesters who showed up to harass, insult and assault them. 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. Blair was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress of Racial Equality. David Richmond died young. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year before a variety of maladies forced him out. None of it deterred the protesters. 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.

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