[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 4 (Friday, January 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREENSBORO LUNCH COUNTER SIT-
                                   IN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 15, 2010

  Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th 
Anniversary of the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In.
  Bucking the convention of segregation, on February 1, 1960, Ezell 
Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David 
Richmond sat at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North 
Carolina, refusing to leave without service. These four courageous 
young students at the Agricultural and Technical College of North 
Carolina, now the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State 
University, became known as the A&T Four. Their actions on February 1st 
inspired a wave of sit-in demonstrations across the nation that played 
a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement.
  After the first sit-in on February 1st more than twenty other A&T 
students joined the A&T Four for the second day of the sit-in. By the 
end of the first week, hundreds of students from colleges throughout 
the area came to the downtown Greensboro area to participate in the 
Woolworth sit-in and rally in the streets in support. The following 
week, student sit-ins were launched across the state of North Carolina, 
and soon thereafter, across the country. After months of commitment by 
young civil rights activists, the first African-American was served at 
the Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter on July 25, 1960. The lunch 
counter was officially desegregated the following day.
  As a Representative from the great state of North Carolina, it brings 
me great pride to recognize the outstanding efforts of this group whose 
actions were instrumental in securing equal treatment for African-
Americans throughout North Carolina and the United States. The story of 
the A&T Four exemplifies the sacrifices made by countless courageous 
individuals to end inequality. The culmination of their efforts 
resulted in the end of an era of racial segregation and structured 
discrimination.
  Madam Speaker, it is with great respect and appreciation that I 
recognize the bravery shown by the young men who launched the 
Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In, and all those who followed in their 
footsteps, making the state of North Carolina and the nation a better 
place for all Americans.

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