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Charlotte NC

Adams, Manning, and North Carolina Representatives Introduce Greensboro Four Black History Month Resolution

February 1, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC (February 1, 2023) – Today, Congresswomen Alma Adams (NC-12) and Kathy Manning (NC-06), along with Representatives Don Davis (NC-01), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Wiley Nickel (NC-13), and Jeff Jackson (NC-14), introduced a resolution “Recognizing the significance of the Greensboro Four sit-in during Black History Month.” The resolution celebrates not only the Greensboro Four – also known as the A&T Four, after the university they attended – but also the many North Carolina A&T University students who participated in the sit-in movement.

North Carolina A&T is located in Greensboro and represented by Rep. Manning. Rep. Adams earned her bachelor's and master’s degrees there. Both Adams and Manning will deliver remarks on the House floor today.

Video of Adams’ remarks is available here.

The resolution encourages all U.S. commonwealths, states, and territories to include this historical account in their educational curriculum as the country observes Black History Month. A copy of the resolution is available here.

"Sixty-three years ago today, the Greensboro Four resisted segregation and Jim Crow by sitting down at a whites-only lunch counter and asking to be served. These men of courage and conviction bet their lives on the wager that they could help build a more perfect union. In doing so, the Greensboro Four demonstrated the principle of ‘Black Resistance’ and changed the United States forever,” said Congresswoman Adams.

“The Greensboro Four, like generations of Black Americans before and after, did the work of perfecting American democracy and opening a door to a more just society than before. Their story is an appropriate beginning to Black History Month, because nonviolent acts of resistance were one of the most effective tools of the Civil Rights Movement. We, as participants in our democracy, have an obligation to carry on the legacy of these four men – and the entire sit-in movement – by learning from their examples, and resisting racism an injustice in all forms,” concluded Adams.

“As the Representative from Greensboro, home of North Carolina A&T State University, I am proud to recognize the contributions of the A&T Four, and those of students from Bennett College and Dudley High School, who joined their peaceful protest in solidarity. Their actions sparked a revolution that moved our nation forward in the fight for civil rights,” said Congresswoman Kathy Manning. “As we celebrate their legacy and mark the first day of Black History Month, I’m proud to lead this resolution with Congresswoman Adams to encourage states to include the Greensboro sit-ins in school curriculums. It is incumbent upon all of us to learn from the A&T Four’s example and continue working for a more equitable future for all.”  

Background on Black History Month:

Black History Month spans the entire month of February, and has its roots in “Douglass Day,” the celebration of Frederick Douglass’ chosen birthday on February 14. The official theme for Black History Month 2023 is “Black Resistance.”

Important milestones in Black History during the month of February include:

  • February 1: Start of the Greensboro Sit-Ins.
  • February 4: Rosa Parks was born in 1913 (also observed as Transit Equity Day).
  • February 10: Then-Senator Barack Obama announced his campaign for the presidency in 2007.
  • February 12: The NAACP was founded in 1909, on the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth.
  • February 14: Frederick Douglass’ birthday in February 1817 or 1818, also known as “Douglass Day.”
  • February 21: John Lewis was born in 1940; Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965.
  • February 22: Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and 87 other Black protestors turn themselves in to the Montgomery, Alabama authorities for their participation in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  • February 24: In 2020, “Hidden Figure” Katherine Johnson passes away at the age of 101.
  • February 25: Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi became the 1st African American to serve in the U.S. Senate in 1870.

Background on the Greensboro Four:

The Greensboro Four sit-in protest took place on February 1, 1960.

The Greensboro sit-in was a civil rights protest that commenced when four young Black students staged a sit-in at the segregated lunch counter of F.W. Woolworth Department Store in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The Greensboro Four: Ezell Blair Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil were students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, now known as North Carolina A&T State University.

Nationwide participation in this new movement included over 700,000 people, including students, clergymen and united citizens, both Black and white.

On July 26, 1960, the Woolworth Lunch Counter was finally integrated.

The Woolworth's in downtown Greensboro was later reopened as the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.

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