Feb 1, 2022
Press Release from The Office of United States Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Congresswoman Kathy Manning (NC-06), introduced a resolution honoring the leaders of the Greensboro Four Sit-In of 1960 and recognizing this important moment in the American Civil Rights Movement. The resolution celebrates not only the Greensboro Four – also known as the A&T Four – but also the many North Carolina A&T University students who participated in the sit-in movement, and encourages all States to include this historical account in their educational curriculum. North Carolina A&T is located in Greensboro in North Carolina’s Sixth Congressional District. A copy of the resolution is available here. “Sixty-two years ago, four courageous Black students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College sat down at a whites-only lunch counter and asked to be served. In doing so, the Greensboro Four changed the United States forever. It is with great pride that I recognize the A&T Four and every American who joined the sit-in movement to protest the racism of the Jim Crow South, and eventually change public policy,” said Congresswoman Adams. “Nonviolent protests against injustice led to civil rights and voting rights for Black Americans, as well as equal protection of the law. We, as a nation, have a responsibility to learn from our past and work diligently to carry on the legacy of these four men by ensuring equal rights for all people, and by protecting the civil rights they fought so hard to win.”
“The four young college students known as the Greensboro Four blazed a trail that ignited a movement to challenge racial inequality in public facilities throughout the segregated South” said Congressman Butterfield. “It is imperative that we learn the lessons from the past and reaffirm that the diversity of our country enriches us as a nation. We are always stronger together, and we must never forget, in all things, to demand justice and equality for all.”
“As the Representative from Greensboro, home of North Carolina A&T State University, I am proud to recognize the contributions of the A&T Four. I’m also proud to represent Bennett College, home of the Bennett Belles, who joined the non-violent protest in solidarity,” said Congresswoman Manning. “Their courage sparked a national civil rights movement that forever changed our nation. As we celebrate their legacy, we must learn from our past and fight for a future that ensures equal rights for all people.”
The resolution is also supported by UNCF.
Background:
The Greensboro Four sit-in protest took place on February 1, 1960.
The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest that commenced when four young Black students staged a sit-in at the segregated lunch counter of F.W. Woolworth Department Store in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The Greensboro Four: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, now known as North Carolina A&T State University.
Nationwide participation in this new movement included over 700,000 people, including students, clergymen and united citizens, both Black and white.
On July 26, 1960, the Woolworth Lunch Counter was finally integrated.
The Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro was later reopened as the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.
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