Commemoration of a Historic Sit-In Movement at N.C. A&T
The legacy of a pivotal civil rights protest was honored virtually by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University as they marked the 66th anniversary of a significant student-led sit-in. This yearly observance celebrates four freshmen whose peaceful demonstration at Greensboro’s Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960 played a crucial role in the broader sit-in movement across the Southern United States.
The event, themed “Rooted in Legacy: Impacting Generations,” featured a panel discussion that included insights from Frank McCain Jr., son of one of the original protestors. He reflected on the systemic challenges his father, Franklin McCain Sr., and his peers faced, noting the normalization of exclusion under the guise of maintaining order. “I think what my father and the others confronted during that period of time was a system that normalized exclusion while calling it order,” McCain Jr. highlighted during the discussion.
The conversation also drew parallels between past and present struggles, with McCain Jr. addressing current examples of what he described as modern-day voter suppression. He specifically mentioned the recent decision by the State Board of Elections to remove N.C. A&T’s early voting site, suggesting such actions often masquerade as administrative decisions, especially when they impact Black voter participation. “I think history shows us that voter suppression often disguises itself as administrative decision-making, particularly when Black political participation is at stake,” he said…