“This is how change happens, though. It is a relay race, and we’re very conscious of that, that our job really is to do our part of the race, and then we pass it on, and then someone picks it up, and it keeps going. And that is how it is. And we can do this, as a planet, with the consciousness that we may not get it, you know, today, but there’s always a tomorrow.†~ Alice Walker
50 years ago, four college students decided they were no longer going to stand for the indignities of segregation. With a network of supporters including college professors, pastors and other students behind them, David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, Franklin Mc Cain and Ezell A. Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan) began the historic protest that sparked a chain of civil disobedience across the south, forever changing our nation.
In keeping with the discriminatory code of the Jim Crow laws, blacks were denied service at F.W. Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC. Separate was not equal and the group known today as the Greensboro Four set out to rock the system. Acting on a plan formulated in the dorms of North Carolina A & T University, these young men dared to do the unthinkable. On February 1, 1960, the four visionaries staged a sit-in, quietly protesting the division that had become commonplace after the abolition of slavery. At the days end, the four men left as peacefully as they had come, all of them resolute in their mission. They returned to the lunch counter the next day.
Like a wildfire, their quest for equality spread and in the days, weeks, and months to come, dissenters both black and white joined the cause.  For seven months, non-violent protesters would sit at the “whites only†lunch counter where they were promptly refused service. Despite bomb threats and intimidation from hecklers, the Greensboro Four and their brethren pressed on, displaying a unity and determination that inspired similar movements across North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
Once a lucrative hotspot for shopping and dining, businesses within the vicinity of the downtown five and dime store suffered as patrons stayed away either from fear of violence or in support of the protesters.  When the store could no longer stand under the weight of bad publicity and loss of profit, the store manager allowed a few black employees to dine at the counter – a quiet victory that reverberated across the world.
In honor of the light these young activists shone on our country, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum (ICRCM) was built as a monument to their struggle and success. Housed permanently at the same Woolworth’s storefront where the sit-ins took place, visitors are encouraged to embark on an engaging tour focusing on this integral part of the Civil Rights Movement.
A labor of love, the historic site was saved from demolition, thanks largely in part to museum co-founders Earl F. Jones and Melvin “Skip†Alston. StudentBS.com had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Jones and discuss the relevance of the museum and why college students are fundamental to the political, social and economic progression of our country.
The Interview
StudentBS.com: The museum tour was an enlightening and very humbling experience. How were you able to collect the many authentic items from the Civil Rights Era?
Earl F. Jones: It was a long term process and planning by the Board of Directors of the ICRCM. The product that you were able to view is a result of their hard work over the last five or six years.
StudentBS.com: Why is it so important to document and exhibit the Civil Rights Movement, especially the pivotal events that occurred at Woolworth’s segregated lunch counter?
Earl F. Jones: Injustice and oppression has been a part of mankind’s history since the beginning of time. Over a period of time there have been different strategies used to end injustice and oppression. One of the strategies that has been demonstrated to work are civil disobedience strategies and as a part of that, the sit-ins that were conducted by the four A & T State University students proved to be the most effective strategy for protesting oppression and injustice in American during the Civil Rights Movement. People need to understand that the same strategy can be used in future efforts to overcome oppression. As a matter of fact, its already been used since February 1, 1960. It was used by students in South Africa to help overthrow apartheid. It was used by citizens in the Phillipines when the Marcos government was overthrown. It was also utilized in Germany when the wall came down. Most people don’t know that the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), specifically Joseph Lowery and some of the people who worked with him went over to Germany a year before the wall went down to work with citizens over there to help them accelerate the wall coming down.
The same strategy was also used by protesters in Tiannemen Square when students sat down in front of the tanks and sat down in the streets. Most recently, it was utilized about 6 or 7 months ago by workers in Chicago where they felt they weren’t treated appropriately when a manufacturing plant shut down. They exercised the strategy of sitting-in to stop the management of the company from shutting down the company and eventually, there was a negotiating settlement. I would suspect that the strategy will be utilized in the future when appropriated by not only American citizens but over the world as it has been for the last 50 years.
StudentBS.com: During our tour of the museum, we noticed there was little reference to Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. Why is that?
Earl F. Jones: One of my number one heroes was Malcolm X. I respected Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and what he did but as a Black youth, I was not a “turn the other cheek†type of person. I believed in Malcolm X and if not for him, Dr. King may not have been successful. When Malcolm and the Nation of Islam came on the scene, America had a choice: go with King or go with Malcolm but either way, regardless of which one you gravitated to, a change in America was going to come as far as African American equality. I think when Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize, it was evidence that America approved of certain elements of the power struggle. If there is something lacking at the museum, we are still tweaking it and making changes as we speak but the Malcolm X element will be prominently displayed within due time.
StudentBS.com: What does it mean to the city of Greensboro to have the ICRCM up and running?
Earl F. Jones: It is a victory for people supporting the museum. There were certain elements of the so-called power structure that didn’t want people like myself or Skip – who had been fighting against racism and injustice throughout our careers - to lead and run this museum. It was a victory for all justice and freedom-minded individuals who believe in equality for all citizens for us to open the museum as a monument to those beliefs. The museum represents a beacon of light and hope for individuals not only throughout America but throughout the world who wish to attempt to overcome injustice and oppression and who try to do it through nonviolence or various alternatives and be able to point to this place (the museum) as an example of where it was very effective and worked.
The ICRCM will also be an economic boon to downtown Greensboro. A & T conducted an economic feasibility study about ten years ago and concluded that when the museum opened, it could anticipate approximately 180k citizens from outside of Greensboro and Guilford County coming into Greensboro specifically to see visit the museum and would generate millions of dollars of revenue for the county and its citizens not only downtown but throughout Greensboro.
StudentBS.com: How do we keep the ICRCM relevant for the next fifty years?
Earl F. Jones: The museum is going to be an active museum, versus a passive one. In Memphis, TN where Dr. King was assassinated, there is a passive museum. You go there, do the tour, look at the artifacts… what makes the ICRCM different from most museums in the country is that not only do we have the passive part, the active part would be our seminars and workshops in various forms dedicated to different issues of today that are controversial, issues that speak to equality and work that needs to be done in different areas. For example, we could explore immigration and its negative impact on Hispanics. There is a lot of race-baiting going on where they are being selectively targeted for persecution. Another area to focus on would be on  health reform. In a country as rich and powerful as America is, there is no excuse for a child to be sick when there is adequate medication and care out there for them just because their parents can’t afford medical care. These are just some of the civil rights issues of today. The museum will focus on these issues and provide a platform for discussion and dialogue.
Progress
StudentBS.com: As with the Greensboro Four, students have always been the future leaders and shapers of tomorrows world. Why is it so important for students to have a firm grasp of what past generations went through in the name of justice and equality?
Earl F. Jones: What’s important to know is freedom is not free. The pursuit of freedom is a lifetime commitment and there may be consequences. When you have oppression and injustice, there is a sacrifice and dues to be paid. Oftentimes, there is also a penalty. You have be willing to make that commitment knowing what the consequences will be. The men in the 60s and early 70s made that commitment at the risk of losing our careers and at the risk of being put out of schools because we felt the effort was worth it – an effort to change society and America to make it fair for you. The sacrifies and penalties were worth it for future generations.
StudentBS.com: Some say there is a disconnect between the students of today and those who were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement 50 years ago. What causes do you think students need to be actively engaged to continue making progress?
Earl F. Jones: I disagree with that premise as far as with African Americans. There is a generation gap with fashion, music and things like that but overall, there are different issues that need to be addressed that are prevalent now but that doesn’t mean that there is a disconnect as far as the Civil Rights Movement goes. The election of Barack Obama as president is a reflection of that. How did we get to that point? The Civil Rights Movement empowered Blacks in three phases. The first phase was to kill off Jim Crow laws and segregation. The sit-ins and other protests were successful in accomplishing that. The second phase was to have Blacks in political power and we’ve pretty much accomplished that. Throughout the country, we have Black elected officials at every level of government. The election of Obama was really the defining moment that we have accomplished Black political power. The generation of people 30 and under were really instrumental in making that happen. Without that group, it wouldn’t have happened. It was the march of victory! It was different from traditional voting patterns in the last twenty or thirty years. It took a consciousness, it took strength, work and organizing. It took an understanding of where we are as a people and where we need to go. The next phase of the movement will be economic empowerment for African Americans and reciprocity. In the hip hop community and other aspects of Black life, you see youth beginning to overcome their economic past by producing their own music and running their own record companies. It’s also evident in other areas, not just in entertainment. This is being duplicated in its early embryionic stages throughout the country. There is a consciousness and an awareness of what the next level of the movement will require.
StudentBS.com: As far as education goes, there are still many disparities between minority youth and their white counterparts.
Earl F. Jones: We have some younger people on the school board that we elected about five or six years ago that are working to close those gaps. These are gaps that were widened as a result of the Jim Crow laws and though those laws are no longer in place, the damage is still there. It’s very slow progress but it’s something that is being continuously worked on. This is an area of priority for the majority of Black leaders in our country.
StudentBS.com: As an active representative of the North Carolina state legislature and city council, you have always kept abreast of the needs in your community. What are some ways college students can begin to make a difference in their campus community?
Earl F. Jones: Students can do what we did back in the 60s; get involved with voter registration and work on various issues while keeping in mind that a student’s number one priority should be classwork and not get distracted by too much of what’s going on in the community because we want students to be prepared to come out here and not just be a part of America but run America. Doing something as simple as registering to vote in the state where you are attending school, especially since you will be living there for the next four years, can have a tremendous impact in your campus community. It doesn’t take away from your academic endeavors and you can re-register to vote in your community for four years.
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