GREENSBORO, N.C. — Main Common Joseph McNeil, one of many 4 North Carolina A&T State College freshmen who helped launch the sit-in motion that reworked the civil rights wrestle, has died. He was 83. North Carolina A&T confirmed McNeil’s demise on Thursday, September 4. The HBCU praised him as each a brave activist and a adorned serviceman.
“McNeil’s bravery and dedication sparked the civil rights motion throughout the US,” the varsity stated in a press release. “His army service and achievements as a serious basic within the Air Pressure Reserve Command present his dedication to service and nation.”
McNeil was a Wilmington, N.C., native when he joined fellow college students Ezell Blair Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, and Franklin McCain on the segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro on Feb. 1, 1960. The “A&T 4” quietly requested to be served. When employees refused, they stayed of their seats. The protest gained nationwide consideration, impressed a whole bunch of comparable demonstrations, and helped push desegregation ahead.
Honored at A&T, in HBCU soccer and past
Even in his later years, McNeil stayed tied to the HBCU the place historical past was made. This previous February, regardless of well being challenges, he returned to A&T for the sixty fifth anniversary sit-in commemoration. The viewers on the annual breakfast honoring the A&T 4 gave him a standing ovation.
Over the weekend, A&T’s soccer program honored him with a helmet decal recognizing the A&T 4. The gesture linked the college’s athletic custom to its civil rights legacy. It confirmed how the A&T 4’s instance continues to encourage new generations.
Chancellor James R. Martin II stated McNeil’s influence nonetheless resonates on campus. “Joseph McNeil and his classmates impressed a nation with their peaceable protest, proving younger folks might change the world. The North Carolina A&T household mourns his loss however celebrates his lengthy and unimaginable life.”
Army profession and later life
After graduating from A&T, McNeil joined the U.S. Air Pressure. He served in Vietnam, rose via the ranks, and retired as a serious basic. He later labored with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The McNeil household known as his life “a testomony to the ability of braveness and conviction.” They stated a tribute to honor him shall be introduced later.
Of the 4 who made historical past in Greensboro, Richmond died in 1990, McCain in 2014, and Khazan now lives in Massachusetts.
The Woolworth’s website is now the Worldwide Civil Rights Heart & Museum, the place guests can see a restored lunch counter. A portion of the unique counter additionally sits on the Smithsonian’s Nationwide Museum of American Historical past in Washington.
McNeil is survived by his household, together with son Joseph McNeil Jr. “His influence on the civil rights motion and his service to the nation won’t ever be forgotten,” his son stated.
