February One...

The Greensboro Four

Topics: African Americans, Diaspora, Diversity, Diversity in Science, History, Women in Science

I will be here. It will be an honor to be in their great presence.

Greensboro, N.C. (Jan. 8, 2018) - In continued honor of the legacy of Jibreel Khazan (Ezell Blair Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond -- better known collectively as the A&T Four, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will hold the 58th Annual February One Sit-In Commemorative program “Conscious for the Culture.” The university will welcome White House correspondent and CNN political analyst April Ryan as keynote speaker for the event scheduled for 8 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 1, in the Alumni Foundation Event Center.

Similar to the leadership and courageous acts of the A&T Four’s protest against segregated lunch counters (which ignited a national sit-in movement) and corresponding segregation laws of the 1960s, Ryan has been a leader among her peers. She stands alone as the only black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House, a position she’s held for American Urban Radio Networks since the Clinton era.

Ryan has served on the board of the prestigious White House Correspondents Association, one of only three African Americans to do so in the association’s over 100-year history. Even in the face of often pointed criticism and ostracism, she continues to champion the cause and agenda of minorities.

NC A&T State University to Commemorate 58th Sit-In; Award-Winning Journalist April Ryan to Keynote