Remembering February One on 2/1

February One, a Greensboro event that sparked a national movement, is an important day in the history of civil rights. The monument above, erected on the campus of North Carolina A & T State University, recognizes the efforts of David Richmond; Franklin McCain; Ezell Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil.  If you do not know what happened that day, the words on the monument above are a good introduction to the event. " These four A & T freshmen envisioned and carried out the lunch counter sit-in of February 1, 1960, in downtown Greensboro. Their courageous act against social injustice inspired similar protests across the nation and is remembered as a defining moment in the struggle for civil rights."  Many websites and books are available to explain the movement. A good place to start is the Documentary Film Study Guide by Rebecca Cerese and Diane Wright. 

            

Comments

[Greensboro Daily Photo]

If you live in Greensboro and do not already receive the local paper, please run out and buy a copy of the News & Record. The Sunday News & Record is full of great articles about the Civil Rights Movement in Greensboro. The IDEAS section has an informative article by Ed Cone about the men in the photo above. Cone reminds us that the four young men, who fought discrimination nonviolently, are not to be confused with "these men with the big bronze statues in their likeness on the campus of their alma mater." In Cone's article, it is as if the men step down from their granite pedestal to tell their story.

Affectionately, Richmond, McCain, Blair, and McNeil are known by many as "The Fab Four."

[GDP]

You can see the front page and read an article from the NY Times from February 1960 reporting on the sit-ins started in Greensboro. This is today's "One Day in History" feature from the Times Headlines email service.

The link is http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0201.html#article

[cluelessinboston]

Interesting bit of history I was totally clueless about. That looks like a great memorial to a tipping point in civil rights history and a great way to start the month of February.

[babooshka]

I had no idea you place was so historical. Excellent image.