GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Sixty-four years ago, four college students in Greensboro sat down and made history.
On February 1, 1960, four Black freshmen from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina , today known as North Carolina A&T State University, sat down at the segregated lunch counter at the Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro and asked to be served. When staff refused to serve them, they refused to leave.
These four students, now known as the Greensboro Four, included Ezell Blair Jr. (who later changed his name to Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil. They were reportedly inspired by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi and the murder of Emmett Till , as well as the Freedom Rides movement.
It was a carefully planned demonstration, according to the History Channel, and the students worked with a local white businessman who contacted the local media about the protest. The students remained in their seats until the business closed.