Franklin McCain, Self: Liberty Weekend. [4] He attended James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro for one year where he initially met his soon-to-be partner in the Greensboro Sit-ins, Ezell Blair Jr.,[5] but moved with his family to Northeast, Washington, D.C..[3][4] McCain graduated from Eastern High School in Washington D.C. in 1959. He was 73. I grew up in the Deep South in the 1960's. On February 1, 1960 McCain and his classmates walked into the store, purchased some items and then walked over to the segregated counter. Franklin McCain was one of four teenagers who sat down at an all-white lunch counter in Greensboro on February 1, 1960. A manager told them they weren't welcome, a police officer patted his hand with his night stick. Franklin McCain's grandson, Franklin III, is the starting cornerback for North Carolina A&T, Franklin Sr.’s alma mater. It was not only a struggle for facilities that were equal to white schools, but a fight for integration and civic inclusion. "Franklin Eugene McCain was born in Union County, North Carolina, in 1942, and raised in Washington, D.C. And I wasn't afraid because I was too angry to be afraid. What I learned from that little incident was don't you ever, ever stereotype anybody in this life until you at least experience them and have the opportunity to talk to them. courtesy of North Carolina A&T State University RelationsA&T Four. Franklin McCain and his friends did.   In 1971, civil rights activist, Ann Atwater, and ku klux klan grand exalted cyclops, C.P. "[6] Ten days later, the protest had spread to fifteen cities in five different states. Franklin McCain was one of four teenagers who sat down at an all-white lunch counter in Greensboro on February 1, 1960. His age is variously described in the media as being 71 or 73. Jessica Jones etails how the International Civil Rights Center & Museum happened to open on the 50th anniversary of the sit-in. North Carolina A&T honored the men with a statue outside their freshman dormitory. Franklin McCain in 2010. [2] McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. McCain was married to his wife Bettye Davis McCain, from 1965 until her death in 2013. [16]. Franklin McCain in 2010 at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro lunch counter sit-in. A play by Mark St. Germain retells the story of this unlikely friendship in the play, Best of Enemies.Â. [4] McCain also served as a member of the boards of trustees for both North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central Universities; as well as the Board of Visitors of Bennett College; and the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. The section of the lunch counter where McCain and his fellow protesters sat is now preserved at the National Museum of American History. A Civil Rights pioneer has died. WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - African-American civil rights leader Franklin McCain, who as a college student helped launch the U.S. sit-in movement against segregation at whites-only lunch counters, has died, his alma mater said on Friday. [14] In addition to the monument, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's freshman college roommate, died in 1990. McCain, 81, died at his ranch in Arizona after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. He later said that he thought to himself "Maybe they can't do anything to us, maybe we can keep it up. Credit Photo courtesy of North Carolina A&T State University Relations. On September 15th, 1963, the Ku Klux Klan bombed 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Listen to Jeff Tiberii on Franklin McCain. 40346211, citing Graceland Cemetery, Bridgeport, Caddo County, Oklahoma, USA ; Maintained by Cokeman2 (contributor 47080869) . The explosion killed four little girls and injured 22 others. He was one of the four students who inspired an entire generation of young men and women, black and white, to stand-up by sitting down. Word of the sit-ins spread by newspapers and demonstrations began in Winston-Salem, Durham, Asheville and Wilmington; within 2 months of the initial sit-in, 54 cities in nine different states had movements of their own. RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) - Franklin McCain, who helped spark a movement of nonviolent, sit-in protests across the U.S. South by occupying a "whites only" Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960, has died, his son said Friday. Host Frank Stasio talks with Sarah Caroline Thuesen, author of “Greater Than Equal: African American Struggles for Schools and Citizenship in North Carolina, 1919-1965,” and a professor of history at Guilford College. Franklin McCain, who helped touch off the civil rights movement of the 1960s when he and three other college students sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter where they knew they would not be served, died Jan. 9 at a hospital in Greensboro, N.C. Listen to this story. During McCain's freshman year, he lived in a dormitory with David Richmond and resided in the same building as Ezell Blair Jr. and Joseph McNeil. In Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Carrick Enoch Franklin McCain (28 Mar 1877–24 Aug 1943), Find a Grave Memorial no. Franklin McCain was one of four teenagers who sat down at an all-white lunch counter in … [10], In 1964, McCain graduated from North Carolina A&T with bachelor's degrees in both biology and chemistry. Initially McCain and the other men were known as the A&T Four, because what they did was viewed as so controversial. McCain died of a respiratory illness Jan. 9, just six days after his 73rd birthday. North Carolina A&T celebrates the A&T Four (or Greensboro Four) this Friday, the 53rd anniversary of their iconic sit-in at Woolworth's, http://www.flickr.com/photos/76587168@N06/ / flickr.com, manbitesdogtheater.org / Manbites Dog Theater, Inclusion Diversity Equity Accountability, International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Fifty Years Later, N.C. Sit-In Site Becomes Museum, A&T Four Celebrated 53 Years After Iconic Sit-in, 50 Years Ago: The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Greater Than Equal: African-American Struggles For School Integration. He hadn't even asked for service. McCain was one of four N.C. A&T students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth lunch … The conversations would go on for so long, that it was common for the men to fall asleep right where they sat chatting. Franklin McCain graduated from A&T with a degree in chemistry and biology. He grew up in Washington, D.C. but returned to his native North Carolina to attend college at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.McCain and his roommate, David Richmond, had followed the progress of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama and felt that they should … 1960: Sitting Down to Take a Stand. McCain was also known for meeting with … Today our nation has lost a true champion of democracy. If I were lucky I would be carted off to jail for a long, long time. Richmond died of cancer in 1990. [15], In 1991, McCain was the recipient of the honorary Doctor of Philosophies in humanities from NC A&T State University. North Carolina Public Radio - WUNC is created in partnership with: Joseph McNeil (from left), Franklin McCain, Billy Smith and Clarence Henderson sit in protest at the whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth during the second day of peaceful protest, Feb. 2, 1960. Franklin McCain was born on January 3, 1941 in Union County, North Carolina, USA. Also, here's an interactive timeline: "Sparking a Revolution By Sitting Down.". A Civil Rights pioneer has died. Johnson, Rob. (2014). Quiet McCain is remembered for having said, "Are you guys chicken or not? McCain's death on Thursday was confirmed by the family. An American civil rights pioneer has died. 119). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that the four young men who sat down in Greensboro taught us all how to use the power of passive resistance on a … He died in Greensboro on December 7, 1990, at the age of 49, and A&T awarded him a posthumous honorary doctorate degree. Franklin Eugene McCain (January 3, 1941 – January 9, 2014) was an American civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four. The Greensboro lunch counter desegregated six months later. Franklin McCain. Despite his intimidating build, he was regarded as quiet, and wasn't on any athletic teams in school, as he instead preferred the close companionship of his friends. Woolworth's closed early and the four men returned to campus with empty stomachs and no idea about what they had just started. Franklin McCain (second from left), one of the original Greensboro Four, has died in Greensboro. Franklin McCain was one of four young black college students who sparked nonviolent sit-in protests across America's Deep South in the 1960's.McCain died in Greensboro, North Carolina on January 9, 2014. And those meetings started a unexpected lifelong friendship between the two. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images Franklin McCain, an icon of the civil rights movement and a member of the “Greensboro Four,” a group of college freshmen who sparked the nonviolent sit-in movement of the 1960s throughout the South, died … McCain also served as a member of the boards of trustees for both North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central Universities; as well as the Board of Visitors of Bennett College; and the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. [15] Upon the election of Obama, McCain spoke to NC A&T State alumni declaring that the hard work was "just about to begin" as he urged blacks to be more active in civic events like attending city council meetings. The sculpture named February One was unveiled during the 42nd anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-ins. [12], On January 9, 2014, McCain died from respiratory complications at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, six days after his 73rd birthday. North Carolina A&T State University said Friday morning that McCain died Thursday "after a brief illness at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro." The tension grew but it never turned violent. A Civil Rights pioneer has died. Richmond died of cancer in 1990. Their determination to resist Jim Crow laws inspired thousands of peaceful sit-ins and helped to end official segregation in the South. McCain was famous for his sit-in protest at a Woolworth's in 1960. He died on January 9, 2014 in Greensboro, North Carolina. [5], McCain weighed over 200 pounds and towered over his comrades at 6'2". American Legion leaders took Trump to task on Monday after flags at the White House, which flew at half staff through the weekend, were raised to … McCain died of cancer Saturday. Left to right: David “Chip” Richmond (son of the late David L. Richmond), Franklin McCain Sr. '63, Jibreel Khazan '63 & Joseph A. McNeil '63, standing in front of the statue commemorating the A&T Four. Ellis chaired a community meeting to handle violence in the recently desegregated Durham school system. How did that Woolworth's Lunch Counter become a museum? The two had three sons: Franklin Jr., Wendell, and W. Bertrand McCain. Look back: Franklin McCain, of the Greensboro Four, died six years ago. McCain recalls: Fifteen seconds after I sat on that stool, I had the most wonderful feeling. Retrieved from. Franklin McCain died Friday after a short illness in Greensboro. This page was last edited on 17 February 2021, at 17:44. He married, had three sons and settled in Charlotte. [9] The success of the movement helped prove that non-violent and mobilized citizens could make a profound difference. [3] In the fall of 1959, McCain enrolled at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. And just for sitting on some dumb stool. The next day another 20 students joined them and 300 came out by the end of the week. In the violent aftermath of the bombing, two little boys were murdered. He was 73.The cause was respiratory ailments, said his daughter-in-law Lori McCain. Although he was born in Union County, Franklin McCain’s family moved to the Washington area a short time later, and he attended school there. McCain died of respiratory complications late Thursday, Frank McCain said Friday. [6] McCain said that they "finally felt hypocritical" for doing nothing along with many in the country, and they decided it was time to take a stance. Singer Aretha Franklin and McCain lived through the decade that reshaped so much of American life but were propelled into the 1970s and all the way to 2018, carrying some of the fundamental storylines of the 1960s as they hurtled forward. During this time, the four men became extremely close friends. In time, the city adopted them as their own, and today they're more commonly known as the Greensboro Four. - Franklin McCain, interview on NPR. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid,athens,shib&custid=s8863137&db=n5h&AN=2W62W62846757648&site=eds-live&scope=site. They would frequently gather in one of their dorms to have deep conversations, usually about racial inequalities in America. McCain died Thursday after a brief illness, according to his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University. Detroit, MI: Gale. He is pictured here in 2014 at during a memorial … [6] McCain and his three friends devised a plan to sit down at the white only counter in a store, and not to leave until they were served. When McCain and the others did they were denied. Hoffmann/News, H. S., Hoffmann, H. S., Moebes, J., & Hoffmann, S. (2020, January 10). "I certainly wasn't afraid. Later, McCain participated in negotiations between student protesters, graduated with a degree in chemistry and biology and continued to serve in various civic activities including the … McCain, along with fellow North Carolina A&T State University students Ezell Blair Jr., Joseph McNeil and David Richmond, staged a sit-in protest at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960 after they were refused service due to the color of their skin. Read Jessica Jones' reporter's notebook and listen to the audio story, "3 of the Greensboro 4 In Their Own Words.". Franklin McCain, one of the Greensboro Four, four college students who staged a sit-in at the "whites only" lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960, has died after a short illness. Joseph Alfred McNeil (born March 25, 1942) is a retired major general in the United States Air Force who is best known for being a member of the Greensboro Four; a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of denying … [4] In 2002, North Carolina A&T commissioned a monument to be created in honor of McCain and the three other members of the Greensboro Four. Bilyeu, S. (2010). “Franklin McCain must be looked upon as one of the founding fathers of the sit-in movement. [4] He later earned his Master of Arts degree from A&T and also studied and trained at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Princeton University in New Jersey, Farr Associates in Greensboro and American Management Association in New York City. North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, "Franklin McCain, One Of 'Greensboro Four,' Dies", "Franklin McCain, Who Fought for Rights at All-White Lunch Counter, Dies at 73", "Franklin McCain, who helped inspire sit-ins for civil rights as part of Greensboro Four, dies", "Franklin McCain, one of 'the Greensboro Four,' dies", https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1606006585/BIC?u=viva_jmu&sid=BIC&xid=f6191656, "Howell Raines interview with Franklin McCain, 1960", https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,cpid,athens,shib&custid=s8863137&db=f5h&AN=48609391&site=eds-live&scope=site, https://www.greensboro.com/gallery/look-back-franklin-mccain-of-the-greensboro-four-died-six/collection_c9ed7d18-333e-11ea-bf44-7ffe4f146448.html#3, "Look back: Franklin McCain, of the Greensboro Four, died six years ago", "N.C. A&T Remembers 'Greensboro Four' With New Statue", School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, Southeastern Universities Research Association, Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina Historic District, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, John F. Kennedy's speech to the nation on Civil Rights, Chicago Freedom Movement/Chicago open housing movement, Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, Council for United Civil Rights Leadership, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States, List of lynching victims in the United States, Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, International Civil Rights Center and Museum, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Franklin_McCain&oldid=1007348380, Activists for African-American civil rights, North Carolina A&T State University alumni, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [2][3], McCain was born in Union County, North Carolina, on January 3, 1941. On Monday, in the same building that once housed the Woolworth's store, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum opens. [11], After graduating from North Carolina A&T, McCain moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he worked at the Celanese Corporation, a chemical manufacturer, where he built upon his career for 35 years. [6] McCain later said that five and dime stores would often put ads on TV encouraging everyone to shop in their store, but once black people got there, they were treated as unwelcome guests. McCain responded simply that he sees freedom as being able to “be oneself in society at large.”[13]. And if I were not so lucky, then I would be going back to my campus, in a pine box." [4], Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter who asked him to define freedom. The African American civil rights leader who helped launch sit-in protests against whites-only policies at lunch counters in the in the South, Franklin McCain, has died … Retrieved from. And 50 years after McCain had that feeling of invincibility a civil rights museum opened where the Woolworths once operated. There he met Joseph McNeil and two other young men, all of whom believed they could bring about social change. As McCain and the others continued to sit at the counter, an older white woman who had been observing the scene walked up behind him: And she whispered in a calm voice, 'boys, I'm so proud of you'. GREENSBORO — Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. [4] He was also a member of Sigma Pi Phi, the oldest African-American Greek-lettered organization. Franklin E. McCain Sr., a civil rights leader who was involved in the Woolworth's sit-in in 1960, has died.McCain died Thursday night at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro. Four civil rights pioneers will be honored Friday in Greensboro on the 53rd anniversary of their famous sit-in. The struggle for education equality in North Carolina was hard-fought for more than four decades. Active as educator. McCain, Franklin (Franklin Eugene), 1941-Biography: Franklin Eugene McCain is one of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-in on February 1, 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Looking for someone who passed away? "[6] Moments later the four men were out the door, on the way to accomplish their mission. Franklin McCain, one of the ... lunch counter in North Carolina and launched a sit-in movement that would soon spread to cities across the nation, has died. McCain, who continued to work for social justice during a long career with a Charlotte, N.C., chemical company, died Thursday at a Greensboro hospital of complications of pneumonia, … [6], In February of 1960, the four men refused to leave Woolworth's, one of the world's largest retailers, after they were denied service. Franklin McCain was one of four teenagers who sat down at an all-white lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1st, 1960. The sit-ins successfully brought about the reversal of Woolworth's policy of racial segregation in their southern stores, and increased national sentiment to the fight of African-Americans in the south. He spent his childhood in Washington D.C., lived briefly in Greensboro as a teenager and graduated from Eastern High School in the nation's capitol before returning to the state to attend North Carolina A&T. Franklin McCain was born on January 3, 1941 in Union County, North Carolina. McCain compared the men to "Mack trucks" because there was simply no way anyone could move them from their seats. Jack Franklin Mccain (1956-2015) gravesite, tombstone photo and death date. GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Civil Rights leader and one of the "Greensboro Four" Franklin McCain has died following a brief illness. GREENSBORO — Civil rights leader Franklin McCain has died. And I truly felt almost invincible. Franklin McCain, one of the Greensboro 4 and a civil rights campaigner has died at the age 61. McCain later said, "I felt that this could be the last day of my life" but that, "we had absolutely no choice. Staging a sit-in at the Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest the store's policy, which refused to serve African American customers. [7] The longer the men sat, the more McCain realized that no one was stopping them. [1] Their actions were credited with launching the Greensboro sit-ins, a massive protest across state lines involving mostly students who took a stand against discrimination in restaurants and stores by refusing to leave when service was denied to them. “Counting Steps for Equal Footing: Civil Rights Pioneer Franklin McCain Spoke to an Audience That Has Seen Much Change but Is Told There’s Still More to Do.” Roanoke Times, The (VA), 20 Jan. 2009. In the 2010 interview with the Observer, McCain said, "That day - Feb. 1, 1960 - was the best day of my life. He was 73. [15] He went on to hold positions on the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Board and on the National Conference for Christians and Jews. I had a feeling of liberation, restored manhood; I had a natural high. McCain was one of four N.C. A&T students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro in 1960. The freshmen from North Carolina A&T ignited a sit-in movement in the Jim Crow south that led to other key chapters in the Civil Rights era. Franklin McCain. He lived most of his adult life in Charlotte but died in Greensboro, where he … He was married to Bettye Davis. Fifty years ago, on Feb. 1, four black college students sat down at a whites-only Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C. McCain spent more than three decades working as a chemist. McCain and three classmates from North Carolina A&T State University began the first of many similar … Franklin McCain was one of four teenagers who sat down at an all-white lunch counter in Greensboro on February 1, 1960. [8] Martin Luther King Jr. even credited the sit-ins with giving a new energy to the Civil Rights Movement. Greater Than Equal: African American Struggles for Schools and Citizenship in North Carolina, 1919-1965, A Lifelong Friendship Of Civil Rights Activist And Ku Klux Klan Member, 120 Friday Center Dr | Chapel Hill, NC 27517, 91.5 Chapel Hill | 88.9 Manteo | 90.9 Rocky Mount | 91.1 Welcome | 91.9 Fayetteville | 90.5 Buxton. New York Times Upfront, 142(8), 24. "[8] Despite being scared, the men stood their ground. [4] McCain was also known for meeting with local Charlotte teenagers and encouraging them to stay in school. He said that it really "added insult to injury" and so the men thought this would be a good place to start their protest. I am 58 years old. The "Greensboro Four," along with friends and supporters, returned to the counter every day for six months until the lunch counter was desegregated. [7] Ultimately, it was McCain who gave the final call as his friends began to get cold feet about the situation. ... A Civil Rights pioneer has died. After graduating from North Carolina A&T, McCain moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he worked at the Celanese Corporation, a chemical manufacturer, where he built upon his career for 35 years. Franklin Eugene McCain was born January 3, 1941 in Union County, NC. North Carolina State University A&T Freshman Joe McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr., Franklin McCain and David Richmond sat down at an all-white Woolworth’s lunch sparking a significant movement in the Jim Crow South. Just six days after his 73rd birthday Greensboro four, died at his ranch in Arizona after short... More McCain realized that no one was stopping them he thought to himself `` Maybe they n't. Technical State University in the South member of Sigma Pi Phi, the city adopted them as their own and! I would be carted off to jail for a long, long time men were known the... 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