May the Peace of God Be With Our Civil Rights Leader, Joseph McNeil’s Family and Friends

May the Peace of God Be With Our Civil Rights Leader, Joseph McNeil’s Family and Friends

By James Jerome Hankins

His leadership was much like that of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who once reminded us: “Not if I stop to help this man, what will happen to me, but if I do not stop to help, what will happen to him?”

On February 1, 1960, our homeboy Joseph McNeil, along with three fellow A&T freshmen—Ezell Blair Jr., Franklin McCain, and David Richmond—walked from the university library to the downtown Greensboro Woolworth store. Once there, the young men purchased items at a segregated counter and then sat down at the “whites-only” lunch counter, where they were refused service. They remained until the store closed and returned the next day.

As media coverage grew, demonstrations spread across North Carolina and into other Southern cities. Boycotts soon began to affect sales at targeted stores, pressuring owners to serve all customers.

Note: This highly successful NAACP tactic echoes even today. For example, Target reported a $12.4 billion loss and Tesla a $100 billion loss following recent boycotts. Divided, many African Americans may not possess a million dollars individually—but collectively, we command billions. We have the power to resist oppression and defeat harmful movements. All we need to do is use it—by registering and voting.

After the sit-ins, McNeil helped form the Student Executive Committee for Justice, a joint effort between A&T students and the young women of nearby Bennett College. This coalition organized pickets of segregated Greensboro businesses. McNeil later joined negotiations with Woolworth’s management and the Human Relations Commission.

In 1963, McNeil earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics from North Carolina A&T State University. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the university’s ROTC program immediately after graduation. His military career culminated in retirement as a Major General in the Air Force Reserve Command Headquarters.

Eyes Right! My homeboy, like me, graduated from two prestigious institutions: Williston Senior High School and North Carolina A&T State University.

Sadly, our book-banning and history-revising majority on the New Hanover County Board of Education would prefer that this true history never be taught. As a 34-year shop teacher, I offer this as my lesson plan, ensuring that the legacy of Major General Joseph McNeil lives on.