International Civil Rights Center and Museum

Greensboro, North Carolina, USA is home to the International Civil Rights Center & Museum (ICRCM). Its structure once housed Woolworth's, the location of a nonviolent civil rights demonstration during the civil rights movement. On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T) began the Greensboro sit-ins at a "whites only" lunch restaurant. Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond were the four pupils. The following day, there were twenty pupils. The founders of the museum hope that history will remember the activities of the A&T Four, those who joined them in the daily Woolworth's sit-ins, and others around the country who participated in sit-ins and the civil rights struggle.

Restoring the structure

Woolworth's downtown Greensboro shop, which had been open since 1939, closed in 1993, and the corporation announced intentions to demolish the structure. Greensboro's 102 JAMZ (WJMH) radio station launched a petition push to save the facility. Dr. Michael Lynn, a morning radio presenter, campaigned day and night to rescue the historic structure. A petition with eighteen thousand signatures was circulated. Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. paid a visit to the site, applauded the endeavour, and participated in the live broadcast. After three days, the F. W. Woolworth firm announced an agreement to keep the business open while finance for the purchase of the store could be negotiated. ( A few years later, in 1997, the Woolworth chain went out of business; the firm that owned it

The chain was renamed Venator and is currently known as Foot Locker.)

County Commissioner Melvin "Skip" Alston and City Councilman Earl Jones advocated purchasing the property and converting it to a museum. Sit-in Movement, Inc., a nonprofit organisation devoted to accomplishing this aim, was created by the two. The organisation was successful in acquiring and restoring the property.Sit-in Movement Inc. and NC A&T established a cooperation in 2001 to make the museum a reality.

Fundraising and grand opening

As the 50th anniversary of the sit-ins approached, attempts to complete the project mounted. Donations and grants totaled more than $9 million. In addition, the museum qualified for $14 million in historic preservation tax credits. The project moved forward and was finished in time for the 50th anniversary opening. 

The ICRCM opened during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 1, 2010, the 50th anniversary of the initial sit-in. Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. delivered a religious invocation. The three surviving Greensboro Four (McCain, McNeil, and Kazan) were honored guests. The White House was represented by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez. Perez, US Senator Kay Hagan, and North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue were among those who spoke.

Awards

The Alston-Jones International Civil and Human Rights Award is given by the museum organization. The award is granted to someone whose life's work has helped to advance civil and human rights. This is the highest honor bestowed upon the museum. In 1998, the award was given to novelist Maya Angelou.Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, received the 2013 Alston-Jones prize. Dr. Cole is a renowned educator, anthropologist, and humanitarian. She has served as president of Bennett College and Spelman College. Dr. Joe Dudley Sr., co-founder of Dudley Products, received the Museum's 2013 Trailblazer Award. Gladys Shipman, owner of Shipman Family Care, was honored with the 2013 Unsung Hero Award. For their brave acts in the aftermathICRCM presented Sit-In Participant Awards to Roslyn Cheagle of Lynchburg, Virginia; Raphael Glover of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Mary Lou Blakeney and Andrew Dennis McBride of High Point, North Carolina, for their participation in the February 1, 1960 sit-in protest.

Hours

Monday through Saturday

10:00am – 06:00pm

Sunday

Closed