Joseph McNeil, famous for lunch anti-sitting protests in 1960, died at 83 | U.S. News

His family and university said Joseph McNeil, one of four North Carolina students, who occupied Woolworth’s lunch counter 65 years ago helped inspire nonviolent civil rights sit-in protests in the southern United States, and his family and university died Thursday. He is 83 years old.

McNeil, who later became a two-star general, was one of four freshmen at A&T State University in North Carolina in Greensboro, sat on the local “white only” counter on February 1, 1960. The four were denied service, even as the store manager and police urged them to move on.

Statements from A&T in North Carolina and the whole family did not give a cause of death or place of death. McNeill has been living in New York.

McNeill faced health challenges recently but still managed to attend this year’s sit-in 65th anniversary celebration in Greensboro, the university said.

McNeil’s death means that Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr) is now the only surviving member of the four. Franklin McCain died in 2014 and in 1990.

“We are very serious, and the problem of our rallying behind us is a very serious problem because it represents years of suffering, disrespect and humiliation,” McNeil said in the 2010 Associated Press story on the 50th anniversary of the 2010 sit-in. “Apartheid is an evil thing to pay attention to.”

On the first day of the sit-in, the four young men stayed until the store was closed, but returned the next day and the following days. More protesters joined them, with at least 1,000 by the fifth day. Within a few weeks, sit-in was launched in more than 50 cities in nine states. About 75 miles (120 km) west of the Woolworth Counter in Greensboro – quarantined within six months.

McNeil and his classmates “inspired a country with courageous, peaceful protests that strongly embodies the idea that young people can change the world”. “His leadership and A&T Four’s role model continue to inspire our students.” The monument of these four sits on the A&T campus.

Greensboro sit-in also led to the establishment of the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC), a key part of the student direct action civil rights movement. The demonstrations from 1960 to 1965 helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

McNeil and sit-in participants left behind a legacy of nonviolent protests that “promote equity, social justice and social change in the United States and the world,” museum co-founder Earl Jones said Thursday.

When McNeill returned to school by bus from New York, they decided to take action, and the racial climate became increasingly oppressive, according to the Associated Press story in 2010.

Joseph A McNeil grew up in the coastal areas of Wilmington and is a member of the Reserve Officer (ROTC) of A&T. He retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2001 and worked as an investment banker. McNeil received honors in the section of the streets named after him after Wilmington. At the time vice president Kamala Harris sat on a part of the lunch counter, which remained intact in the museum in 2021. The other part is in the Smithsonian.

McNeill’s family said that tributes to his life will be announced separately.

McNeil’s son, Joseph McNeil Jr, said in a family statement that McNeil’s “legacy proves the power of courage and faith.” “His impact on the civil rights movement and on the service of the country will never be forgotten.”