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David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr, and Joseph McNeil.

On February 1, 1960, their courage gave a significant nudge to the South’s snail-like movement toward the full promise of America, as so plainly enunciated in our Constitution.

The afore-mentioned young men, all 18 year olds, were students at the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, located in Greensboro.

It was Jim Crow prevailing still in our state, and throughout much, most, of the South.

So, what was it they did that was courageous, you ask. I’ll tell you.

They walked the mile-and-a-half from their school to the F. W. Woolworth store downtown. Then they entered the store, and each found a seat at the lunch counter. They were not all seated side by side,

The rest of that story seems almost anti-climactic. No, there was no violence. Just some racial slurs. And after an hour or so the store abruptly closed for the day. (There were lynchings and other forms of violence that had been occurring. A very dark time.)

One of the last patrons to leave was an elderly white woman, who had been sitting at the counter. She headed for McCain, sat down next to him, and said loud enough for the others to hear, “ I’m disappointed in you.”

“Why are you disappointed in us,” McCain asked.

“She paused and replied, “I’m disappointed at you boys because it took so long to do this.”

That hour or so at Woolworth’s in Greensboro didn’t cause the walls of prejudice and discrimination to crumble. But it did put a chink in them. Significantly so.

Four courageous young men. One wise and compassionate elderly woman.

The long struggle wasn’t over. The battle wasn’t won.

But hope was now truly alive. The better angels were emerging.

May it continue to be so.

Note – On the day this took place – February 1, 1960 – I was serving in a fully racially integrated U.S. Army, at Fort Skelly, with the 3rd Battalion of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in Regensburg, Germany. There was no Jim Crow there.

There was an irony somewhere in that, wouldn’t you say?