EMBARGOED 7:00AM FEBRUARY 1, 2010
Contact: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Exec Director, 919-682-4700
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber to be honored with Human Rights Medal Award
at the 50th Sit-In Anniversary Celebration
Celebrating the 50th Sit-In Anniversary
Today on February 1st, State NAACP President, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II became the recipient of the Human Rights Medal Award presented in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-in and the grand opening of the International Civil Rights Museum.
On receiving this honor, Rev. Barber remarked, “I humbly accept this award on behalf of those who fought before us in the cause of justice and human rights and those who today continue to fight for a more just society for all people.”
February One is an annual tribute to the four North Carolina A&T freshmen, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), and the late David Richmond. Their non-violent sit-in to desegregate Woolworth’s sparked direct action by students across the south that affected the entire nation, and changed the course of the civil rights movement.
The Sit-in Program & Human Rights Medal Award took place at 6:30am at the Empire Ballroom across from the original site of the 1960 protest. The former Woolworth’s store is now the International Civil Rights Museum located at February One Place in downtown Greensboro. United States Senator Kay Hagan, Governor Bev Perdue and other state and local dignitaries participated in the grand opening on this historic occasion.
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