NewsRelease

(Posted 1-16-04)
Contact: Greg Moody, 336-334-5371

Sit-in Organizer to Speak at UNCG’s Annual MLK Celebration Jan. 21

GREENSBORO – Civil rights activist Franklin McCain will share his experiences in a speech titled “Don’t Wait for the Masses” during the 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The event will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21,  in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. The annual MLK Service Award presentation and reception will follow his remarks.

McCain was one of the four N.C. A&T State University students who organized the sit-in demonstration at a whites-only lunch counter in downtown Greensboro’s Woolworth's department store after they were refused service Feb. 1, 1960. The original sit-in at Woolworth’s is considered one of the most important events in civil rights history because it initiated a nationwide challenge to injustice and racial inequality in the South.

In the days following, the four were joined by hundreds of other students at Woolworth’s and other segregated Greensboro lunch counters. The sit-ins sparked a series of similar student-led protests across the South and led to demonstrations against segregation in some northern states.

Also that evening, the university will present the MLK award, which recognizes students, faculty and staff who embody the spirit of King's service to humanity. Recipients are selected based on their community activities and involvement.

The event is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Representatives from the International Civil Rights Center and Museum will also be present at the event. For more information, contact Audrey Daniel at (336) 334-5090, or visit the Office of Multicultural Affairs web site at http://maf.dept.uncg.edu.
 

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