General Joseph McNneil, a key activist who directed Pacific seats This took place throughout the south, death Thursday morning. A press release Published by his alma mater, University of North Carolina A&THe confirmed that the civil rights lawyer died at the age of 83 on the morning of September 4.
Was known as one of the “AT&T Four“Protesters, consisting of McNeil and their bedroom fellow Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.), Frank McCain and David Richmond. Khazan is now the last surviving member of the pioneers.
The Greensboro of Joseph McNneil caused a national movement
McNeil began the planning that entered the widely recognized place on the “only” lunch desk of Woolworth’s Downtown Location, on February 1, 1960. When McNeil and his companions were rejected, they did not leave until the showcase closed. They returned several times to continue the protest Style, it eventually led to a policy change that allowed them to be served almost six months later.
“ Joseph McNeil and his North Carolina classmates A&T inspired a nation with its brave and peaceful protest, playing the idea that young people could change the world. Its leadership and the example of the A&T Four continue to inspire our students today, ” Chancellor James R. Martin II said in a statement through a statement. “The A&T family of North Carolina cries their way, but celebrates its long and incredible life and the legacy that leaves behind.”
Although it was not the first place, he won traction with the national media and inspired other students in the south to follow the same. McNeil, who was at the time a 17 -year -old university student, was in the program of the reserve officer training body (ROTC) while on leave. The techniques he learned from his courses and his training provided him with tools to strategize and organize effectively, as he helped other scholars and citizens to prepare and plan the places properly.
According to the statement, McNeil explained in a 2014 interview with Wunc FM that the public demonstration was to have a free option.
“The place was not David Richmond, Frank McCain, Ezell Blair or Joe McNeil sitting and having a cup of coffee next to a white person,” he told the journalist. “It was much deeper than this. It was a choice. It was about having the ability to say,” I decide to sit “. Or,” I decide to drink from this source of water. “
The legacy of Joseph McNeil continues
McNeil was born in 1942 and experienced the effects of Jim Crow’s time. Growing in Wilmington, his determination to defend himself and his community served as a model for other civil rights movement efforts, which began in the 1950’s and continued until the 1960’s. Acts like this and others finally led to the passage of the Civil Rights Law of 1964.
After graduating from NC AT&T, the veteran joined the air force reserves and retired as a two-star general at the end of his military career in 2001, ABC 11 reported. After hanging the uniform, McNneil moved the gears to the investment bank. Back in Wilmington, his legacy continues with a historic marker along a street that is now named.
At this time, there is no details about the cause of McNeil’s death, but his family, friends, NC A&T and supporters of his Audaci act to go back against racial segregation.
McNeil’s son, Joseph McNeil Jr., told ABC that “his father’s legacy is a testament to the power of courage and sentence.” He added that “its impact on the movement of civil rights and its service to the nation will never be forgotten.”
