Wilmington native and civil rights icon Maj. Gen. Joseph McNeil has died at 83. He was one of four Black freshmen from North Carolina A&T State University who staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro on Feb. 1, 1960.
When denied service, they refused to leave, becoming known as the Greensboro Four. Their protest ignited a national sit-in movement, spreading to 13 states and prompting many establishments to change their segregation policies.
The Woolworth’s lunch counter was desegregated in July 1960. Today, the store is home to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.
McNeil was commissioned by the U.S. Air Force after graduating from A&T, and later served in Vietnam. In 2000, he retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of major general.
In a statement following McNeil’s death, NC A&T Chancellor James R. Martin said, “His leadership and the example of the A&T Four continue to inspire our students today.”