A Chance to Touch History

I was 5 years old in 1960 when 4 second semester freshman at North Carolina A&T State University took a stand that started a movement that eventually changed the segregation laws of the south. 50 years later, on February 1, 2010, I got a chance to touch three of them. Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr) celebrated in Greensboro, North Carolina the historic moment at their Alma mater North Carolina A&T. It was a great celebration that brought together generations under one banner "AGGIE PRIDE." For me, that was one of the most incredible site, sound and sensation that I have felt in regards to my history as a Black man and African American. I really felt proud.

The A&T Four were very young men when they stood up against the racial injustices of the south. They risked their lives and their futures. David Richmond one of the original four paid the price for freedom as he passed away at the age of 49. He was represented very humbly and graciously by his son David Richmond Jr. For a week I got a chance to get close to them hear their stories and learn how these Black men stayed close to one another. Not only did I see them in Greensboro, North Carolina they also came to Washington,DC where they were also honored in the African American history wing of the Smithsonian Museum. I became close to Dr. Jibreel Khazan who is wealth of knowledge. I met is wife and family. It is an honor that I will never forget.

The A&T Four hold a special place in my heart because their story shows that it doesn't take a mass movement to make a change. The four young brothers 50 years ago sat in a dorm room on the campus of NCA&T and decided that enough was enough. Their strategy was to employ the method of Gandhi's non-violent resistance to break the code of racial injustice in the south. Seven months after their display of unity and courage, the lunch counters in the F.W. Woolworth stores were desegregated.


I wanted to share the historic moment with the students at Howard University. In hopes to plant a seed about the importance of activism, keeping the focus on the struggle and using their brilliance to find solutions to the problem that plague us in our own communities. We do not necessarily have to blame "oppression" for all the ills in African American communities. We (Black Americans) are already doing a great job of keeping ourselves down. The question is when and who is going to get frustrated enough at the terrible things we do to ourselves and take a
stand.

I am proud of the work the Howard students did to document the celebration. I am grateful to the Time Warner Endowment sponsored HU/NCAT project with the John H. Johnson School of Communication at Howard University.

Also, my colleagues for without them I could not complete the project.