Members of “Greensboro 4” to Celebrate Black History Month at UNC Wilmington Event Feb. 9
2/1/2010 12:12:04 PM
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Major General Joseph McNeil and Dr. Franklin McCain, members of the “Greensboro 4,” will speak at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Tuesday, Feb. 9 in celebration of Black History Month. The program, sponsored by the Upperman African American Cultural Center, will begin at 7 p.m. in Kenan Auditorium, and is free and open to the public.
On Feb. 1, 1960, four black youths launched a movement that changed American history when they sat down at a “whites only” lunch counter at a Woolworth Department Store in Greensboro, N.C. The “Greensboro 4”– Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr. and David Richmond – were all freshmen on academic scholarships at North Carolina A&T State University at the time. Although they did not eat at the counter that day, the “Greensboro 4” became the catalyst for a major social movement that challenged racial segregation throughout the South.
Numerous celebrations are taking place in February commemorating the 50th anniversary of this historic event in the Civil Rights movement. McNeil and McCain will share their personal experiences and their memories of the changes taking place in American society in the 1960s. Rhonda Bellamy will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the evening, and music will be provided by the Voices of Praise UNCW gospel choir and Candace Benford.
McNeil, a native of Wilmington, graduated from N.C. A&T in 1963 with a degree in engineering physics, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. McNeil served for more than 37 years and was involved in the U.S. conflict in Vietnam and in Operation Desert Storm before retiring from the Air Force Reserve in Feb. 2001 with the rank of major general. He also served with the Federal Aviation Administration for 15 years.
McCain completed his degree in chemistry and biology at N.C. A&T in 1964. He stayed in Greensboro to attend graduate school, and joined the Celanese Corporation in Charlotte as a chemist in 1965. He is now retired. As a resident of Charlotte, McCain has served on many boards and has worked to bring about change in the educational, civic, spiritual and political life of the area. He remains an oral historian of the movement.
For more information on the event, contact the Upperman Center at 910.962.3832. Media requests for interviews and event coverage should be directed to the below contact.
Media contact:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 or fischettid@uncw.edu
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