August 4, 2024

Dear Honorees, Guests and Supporters,

July was an incredible month for the International Civil Rights Center & Museum as we strove to honor the lifelong work of history makers and to meet the interest of those who wish to learn how to navigate a future of promise and hope while inspiring as a new generation of civil rights leaders.

On July 20th the ICRCM Marked the 64th Anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-Ins. The long road to this significant achievement began on February 1, 1960 when four freshman students from what was then called the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina — Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr. (Jibreel Kazan), and David Richmond — sat down at the whites-only five-and-ten lunch counter in the same building that currently houses the ICRCM. These four, along with other civil rights activists from A&T, Bennett College, the Women’s College of the University of North Carolina, and Dudley High School, black and white, who participated in these sit-ins until July 25, seated themselves among other store patrons, claiming unfulfilled constitutional guarantees of equal status as full citizens. In the view of every honorable activist who sat at the counter, they already belonged there just like everyone else, whether they were invited or not. Those successful non-violent protests serve as the bedrock of the ICRCM and a touchstone for human agency around the world.

The vision these activists held was sketched in the aftermath of the Civil War with the ratification of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution in July of 1868, which guaranteed fundamental rights, equal protection of the laws, and full citizenship for all persons born or naturalized in the United States. These solemn promises from after that destructive national conflict were refreshed by the equal-access sit-ins that arose across the region after the Greensboro example. In this Museum, we honor this post-Civil War peace treaty with its promise of a just national community where members “already belong” as they support the belonging of others. That right of diverse inclusion is the lesson of the peaceful lunch counter protests that is proclaimed six days a week at this Museum. This is a message of universal significance for the enduring value of non-violent direct action on behalf of respecting all human beings.

For those of you who were able to visit with us during the month of July, we thank you for your patience as we managed to serve such large groups of visitors who have come from all over the world to explore the lessons of non-violence civil rights and to be reminded of a world that we must never accept again as a “Just society” or a land of segregation and discrimination cloaked in “Separate But Equal”.

For those who were able to attend our July 4th program on the American Revolution and how we may want to think about the planning and engagement for the 250 anniversary to come; it was a very though provoking experience as Dr. Harris laid out the components of an enlightened community and world that we should never leave to casual consideration. Our families have already paid the ultimate sacrifices and we must always be ready to defend our Liberties.

For all who were able to joint us during the Tours and Program that we hosted for the 1964 Dudley High School Class Reunion – it was priceless event – as Dr. Gwendolyn Bookman would moderate a reflective and educational discussion on the 1954 Supreme Court ruling: Brown V. Board for Education; a landmark ruling that would start the process of ending segregated education in public schools, while the resistance opening up new justification for alternative ways to continue to educate young minds separately.

To all of the participants and honorees for the July 20th, Annual Fundraising Gala, we thank you for coming out of participating virtually and helping to make the event a little more special for each of our honorees for that evening. This event marked the achievements of racial desegregation at the Greensboro Woolworth lunch counter after those six months of persistent demonstrations in 1960.

The 2024 Gala celebrated the civil and human rights accomplishments of The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a key scholar of nonviolence, who received the Alston-Jones International Civil and Human Rights Award for decades of progressive leadership and teaching about environment justice. The well-known Mayor of Durham, William V. “Bill” Bell, was honored with the Trailblazer Award for helping to open up public leadership opportunities for African Americans, particularly in the North Carolina region. Heather Booth was presented with the Unsung Hero Award for her many years of political and policy service and efforts on behalf of education for disenfranchised groups of women, who were in need to life-saving health care, before Row V. Wade. The Hon. Dorothy “Dot” Kendell-Kearns was present to receive the Lifetime Community Service Award for her lengthy tenure as a dedicated County Commissioner, civic leader and public servant who took a leading role in helping to desegregate public education following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown V. Board of Education. Guilford County Commissioner, Frankie T. Jones, jr received the Keeper of the Flame Civil Rights Award as a public servant and committed advocate for social justice in the Greensboro community and beyond. And the Sit-In Participant Award recognizing her contribution to the Greensboro sit-ins was conferred upon Yvonne Lyons Cooper-Revell.

Again, Thank you for your continued support of programs and developments and please visit our website at www.sitinmovement.org to read more about upcoming events during August, as we shift our attention to the 1963 March on Washington and the means of continuing to move forward as one people with democracy as our guide. As we have endeavored to show by our planning for expansion in the face of challenges, the Museum's future continues to shine as bright now as at any time in the imagination of this special place in North Carolina, thanks to the work of those who insisted on preserving the landmark where this nation’s Sit-In Movement began. Your support and commitment will continue to fuel this bright light.

Sincerely,

John L. Swaine, CEO
International Civil Rights Center & Museum 



About the Sit-In Movement

     The Sit-In Movement began at the F.W. Woolworth's store on Feb. 1, 1960, when four N.C. A&T students — David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), and Joseph McNeil — requested and were refused service at the whites-only lunch counter. That lunch counter and its seats have been preserved in their original location as the iconic core of the Civil Rights Museum. 

     Almost immediately in 1960, the direct-action sit-in tactic spread across the nation, and it has been a method of peaceful protest against injustice ever since. As the saying now goes, “They took a seat to make a stand.” 

     The International Civil Rights Center & Museum attracts visitors from across the globe to explore the struggle for racial justice and human equality. The acclaimed tours and restored Woolworth’s landmark were recently recognized as one of the top 10 major sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. 

     For more information, visit www.sitinmovement.org.

Our 2024 Honorees

 Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
  
Alston/Jones International Civil & Human Rights Award

The Honorable
William V. "Bill" Bell
 
Trailblazer Award

Heather
Booth


Unsung Hero Award

Commissioner
Frankie T. Jones Jr.


Keeper of the Flame Award

The Honorable Dorothy Kendall "Dot" Kearns

Lifetime Community Service Award

Yvonne Lyons-Cooper
 
Sit-In Participant Award