Memorial service for Greensboro Four civil rights icon Joseph McNeil held at NC A&T State University

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — The City of Greensboro is coming together to mourn a member of the Greensboro Four and giant of civil rights after his passing last week.

Major General Joseph McNeil died at the age of 83 last week. McNeil was one of four Black freshmen from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, today known as North Carolina A&T State University, who sat down at the segregated lunch counter at the Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro and asked to be served on Feb. 1, 1960. When staff refused to serve them, they refused to leave.

A memorial was held for McNeil at his alma mater on Thursday. The ceremony took place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. You can watch the full event on North Carolina A&T State University’s YouTube channel.

What could have been a somber farewell to McNeil, instead, uplifted and celebrated his life and legacy.

Community members, students and dignitaries walked quietly past his casket, pausing to reflect on his courage and legacy.

The university’s fellowship gospel choir lifted the room with their voices, filling the auditorium. Many people were visibly moved by the hymns.

Family representatives of each of the Greensboro Four spoke of fond memories of McNeil, noting the generations he inspired.

His son, Joseph McNeil Jr., spoke of his and his siblings’ childhood, the relationship his father had with his mother and the example his father set for them with his civil rights involvement and time in the military.

He shared the moments his family had as they said goodbye to his father.

“We told them that we are going to be OK, that you did everything you needed to do, that you can leave us,” McNeil Jr. said.

Others who spoke noted the generations he inspired.

Major General Mitch Mitchell spoke of his memories with McNeil in the military and how his impact inspired him.

“His legacy reminds us that true leadership is not about position or rank. It is about courage and the willingness to stand up for what is right, even though it is difficult. Whether it is at the lunch counter or pinning on general stars decades later, he showed us the truth … one person acting with conviction and courage can indeed change the world,” Mitchell said.

During Bishop William Barber III’s moving eulogy, there were countless head nods and sounds of agreement among those in attendance.

It’s a reminder that McNeil’s fight for justice and equality continues to inspire.

“It wasn’t just Black folk who opposed the injustice that they had experienced. They sat down when some Black folk wouldn’t support them with Ralph Johns, a white storekeeper who helped them make a plan to buy items from the store before they sat down at the lunch counter, so that when the waitress said, ‘We don’t serve your kind here,’ they can say, ‘That’s not true. We got the receipts,'” Barber said.

Remembering McNeil

“McNeil’s bravery and determination significantly sparked the civil rights movement across the United States. His military service and achievements as a major general in the Air Force Reserve Command further exemplify his dedication to service and country,” his family shared in a release upon the announcement of his death.

“Joseph A. McNeil’s legacy is a testament to the power of courage and conviction,” said Joseph McNeil Jr. “His impact on the civil rights movement and his service to the nation will never be forgotten.”

The family says that a tribute to honor his life and legacy will be announced separately. Anyone wishing to pay their respects “may consider donating to organizations supporting civil rights and social justice.”

The university released a statement in the wake of McNeil’s passing, saying in part, “Despite health challenges, Maj. Gen. McNeil came back to A&T this past February to mark the 65^th anniversary of the sit-in at the annual breakfast honoring the A&T Four. The audience at the breakfast gave him a standing ovation.”

Joseph McNeil and his fellow North Carolina A&T classmates inspired a nation with their courageous, peaceful protest, powerfully embodying the idea that young people could change the world. His leadership and the example of the A&T Four continue to inspire our students today. The North Carolina A&T family mourns his passage, but celebrates his long and incredible life and the legacy he leaves behind.
Chancellor James R. Martin II.

McNeil and the other three, Ezell Blair Jr. (who later changed his name to Jibreel Khazan), David Richmond and Franklin McCain became known as the Greensboro Four as this act of protest caught national attention, kicking off the sit-in movement across the segregated South.

McNeil went on to serve in the United States Air Force, serving in Vietnam and eventually earning the rank of major general before retiring. He also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration.

The A&T Four

The four young men were reportedly inspired by the nonviolent protest techniques of Mahatma Gandhi and the murder of Emmett Till, as well as the Freedom Rides movement, when they began their protests.

It was a carefully planned demonstration, according to the History Channel, and the students worked with a local white businessman who contacted the local media about the protest. The students remained in their seats until the business closed.

Similar sit-ins had been organized as early as 1958, but the Greensboro sit-ins drew intense media coverage, serving to propel the civil rights movement onto the national stage.

By Feb. 5, hundreds of students were joining in on the protest, and the sit-ins were spreading, including to the Woolworth’s in neighboring Winston-Salem, which is now being renovated into an event space to preserve the history made by Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University students.

By the end of March, the sit-ins had spread to 13 states, and, by the end of that summer, many places had begun to change their segregation policies.

The Greensboro Woolworth’s desegregated its lunch counters in July 1960. Four Black employees were the first to be served.

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee was formed in April, hoping to capitalize on the momentum of the sit-ins. Throughout the 60s, the SNCC had a hand in defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement, including Freedom Rides and the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. The organization became more militant throughout the 60s and became essentially defunct by the 1970s.

Today, the site of the Woolworth’s location in Greensboro serves as the home of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, located at 134 S. Elm Street, and a restored version of the Woolworth’s lunch counter is on display.

A portion of the original counter can be found at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

According to a 2014 News & Record article, Khazan moved to Massachusetts in the 1960s. Local media in New Bedford, where he lives, dedicated a statue and a park to him in 2021 to honor his courage and impact on the nation.

David Richmond died of lung cancer in 1990. He left A&T before completing his secondary education and working various jobs. He lived in Franklin for a time before returning to Greensboro.

Franklin McCain graduated from A&T and spent 35 years working as a chemist in Charlotte. He also served on the board of governors for the UNC system. He died in 2014 at the age of 73.