GREENSBORO, N.C. — Major General Joseph McNeil, one of the four North Carolina A&T State University freshmen who helped launch the sit-in movement that transformed the civil rights struggle, has died. He was 83. North Carolina A&T confirmed McNeil’s death on Thursday, September 4. The HBCU praised him as both a courageous activist and a decorated serviceman.
“McNeil’s bravery and determination sparked the civil rights movement across the United States,” the school said in a statement. “His military service and achievements as a major general in the Air Force Reserve Command show his dedication to service and country.”
McNeil was a Wilmington, N.C., native when he joined fellow students Ezell Blair Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, and Franklin McCain at the segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro on Feb. 1, 1960. The “A&T Four” quietly asked to be served. When staff refused, they stayed in their seats. The protest gained national attention, inspired hundreds of similar demonstrations, and helped push desegregation forward.
Honored at A&T, in HBCU football and beyond
Even in his later years, McNeil stayed tied to the HBCU where history was made. This past February, despite health challenges, he returned to A&T for the 65th anniversary sit-in commemoration. The audience at the annual breakfast honoring the A&T Four gave him a standing ovation…