"McNeil, who later became a two-star general, was one of four freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro who sat down at the local whites only counter on Feb. 1, 1960. The young Black men were refused service and declined to give up their seats even as the store manager and police urged them to move on. Statements from North Carolina A&T and the family did not give his cause of death or where he died."
"We were quite serious, and the issue that we rallied behind was a very serious issue because it represented years of suffering and disrespect and humiliation, McNeil said in a 2010 Associated Press story on the 50th anniversary of the sit-in and the opening of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum on the site of the old Woolworth's store."
"On the sit-in's first day, the four young men stayed until the store closed. More protesters joined the next day and days following, leading to at least 1,000 by the fifth day. Within weeks, sit-ins were launched in more than 50 cities in nine states. The Woolworth's counter in Greensboro about 75 miles west of Raleigh was desegregated within six months."
Joseph McNeil, one of four North Carolina A&T freshmen who sat at the whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro on Feb. 1, 1960, died at 83. McNeil later became a two-star general and had been living in New York. The four were refused service and held their seats despite pleas from the store manager and police. The initial sit-in drew increasing support, reaching at least 1,000 protesters by the fifth day and inspiring similar protests in more than 50 cities across nine states within weeks. The Woolworth's counter in Greensboro was desegregated within six months. McNeil attended the sit-in's 65th anniversary despite recent health challenges.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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