By Todd Simmons
09/04/2025
EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 4, 2025) – Maj. Gen. Joseph McNeil, one of the legendary members of the A&T Four who electrified the Civil Rights movement 65 years ago with a sit-in protest that helped lay the groundwork for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, passed away this morning. He was 83.
McNeil was one of the final two living members of the A&T Four; Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.) is now the only survivor. David Richmond passed away in 1990 and Franklin McCain in 2014. All teenagers – McNeil was just 17 – when they launched the sit-in on Feb. 1, 1960, at the downtown Greensboro Woolworth’s, they had extraordinary national impact ...
Despite health challenges, Maj. Gen. McNeil came back to A&T this past February to mark the 65th 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 McNeiland 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,” said Chancellor James R. Martin II. “The North Carolina A&T family mourns his passage, but celebrates his long and incredible life and the legacy he leaves behind” ...
https://www.ncat.edu/news/2025/09/mcneil-passes.php
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