Franklin McCain

African-American civil rights activist (1941–2014)

For his grandson, the gridiron football player, see Franklin McCain III.

Franklin McCain

McCain c. 1960

Born|

Franklin Eugene McCain

(1941-01-03)January 3, 1941

Union County, North Carolina, US

Died| January 9, 2014(2014-01-09) (aged 73)

Moses Cone Hospital, Greensboro, North Carolina, US

Resting place| Oaklawn Cemetery,
Charlotte, North Carolina, US
Education| North Carolina A&T State University (BS, MA)
Occupation(s)| Civil rights activist, Chemist
Known for| Staging the Greensboro sit-ins
Spouse|

Bettye Davis McCain

(m. 1965; died 2013)​

Children| 3

Franklin Eugene McCain (January 3, 1941 – January 9, 2014) was an American civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four. McCain, along with fellow North Carolina A&T State University students Ezell Blair Jr., Joseph McNeil and David Richmond, staged a sit-in protest at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960, after they were refused service due to the color of their skin.[1] Their actions were credited with launching the Greensboro sit-ins, a massive protest across state lines involving mostly students who took a stand against discrimination in restaurants and stores by refusing to leave when service was denied to them. The sit-ins successfully brought about the reversal of Woolworth's policy of racial segregation in their southern stores, and increased national sentiment to the fight of African-Americans in the south.[2][3]

## Early life, education and protest

[edit]

See also: Greensboro sit-ins

McCain was born in Union County, North Carolina, on January 3, 1941.[4] He attended James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro for one year where he initially met his soon-to-be partner in the Greensboro Sit-ins, Ezell Blair Jr.,[5] but moved with his family to Northeast, Washington, D.C.[3][4] McCain graduated from Eastern High School in Washington D.C. in 1959.[3] In the fall of 1959, McCain enrolled at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. During McCain's first year, he lived in a dormitory with David Richmond and resided in the same building as Ezell Blair Jr. and Joseph McNeil. During this time, the four men became extremely close friends. They would frequently gather in one of their dorms to have deep conversations about racial inequalities in America. The conversations would go on for so long that it was common for the men to fall asleep right where they sat chatting.[6] McCain said that they "finally felt hypocritical" for doing nothing along with many in the country, and they decided it was time to take a stance.[5]

McCain weighed over 200 pounds and towered over his comrades at 6'2". Despite his intimidating build, he was regarded as quiet and was not on any athletic teams in school, as he instead preferred the close companionship of his friends.[6] McCain and his three friends devised a plan to sit down at a store's white-only counter and not leave until they were served.[6] McCain later said that five-and-dime stores would often put ads on TV encouraging everyone to shop in their store, but once black people got there, they were treated as unwelcome guests. He said it really "added insult to injury", so the men thought this would be a good place to start their protest.[7] Ultimately, it was McCain who gave the final call as his friends began to get cold feet about the situation. Quiet McCain is remembered for saying, "Are you guys chicken or not?"[6] Moments later, the four men were out the door on the way to accomplish their mission.[6]

In February 1960, the four men refused to leave Woolworth's, one of the world's largest retailers, after they were denied service. McCain later said, "I felt that this could be the last day of my life" but that "we had absolutely no choice."[8] Despite being scared, the men stood their ground. McCain compared the men to "Mack trucks" because there was no way anyone could move them from their seats.[7] The longer the men sat, the more McCain realized that no one was stopping them. He recalled thinking, "Maybe they can't do anything to us; maybe we can keep it up."[6] Ten days later, the protest had spread to fifteen cities in five different states.[9] The movement's success helped prove that non-violent and mobilized citizens could make a profound difference.[8] Martin Luther King Jr. even credited the sit-ins with giving new energy to the Civil Rights Movement.[10]

In 1964, McCain graduated from North Carolina A&T with bachelor's degrees in both biology and chemistry.[4] He later earned his Master of Arts degree from A&T and also studied and trained at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Princeton University in New Jersey, Farr Associates in Greensboro and American Management Association in New York City.[11]

## Later life and death

[edit]

After graduating from North Carolina A&T, McCain moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he worked at the Celanese Corporation, a chemical manufacturer, where he built upon his career for 35 years.[4] McCain also served as a member of the boards of trustees for both North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central Universities; as well as the Board of Visitors of Bennett College; and the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina.[4] McCain was also known for meeting with local Charlotte teenagers and encouraging them to stay in school.[12]

On January 9, 2014, McCain died from respiratory complications at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro, North Carolina, six days after his 73rd birthday.[2] McCain's death left Ezell Blair (now Jibreel Khazan) and Joseph McNeil as the two surviving members of the Greensboro Four. David Richmond, the fourth member and McCain's first-year college roommate, died in 1990.[4]

Shortly before his death, McCain was interviewed by his granddaughter, Taylor, who asked him to define freedom. McCain responded simply that he sees freedom as being able to "be oneself in society at large".[13]

## Personal life

[edit]

McCain was married to his wife, Bettye Davis McCain, from 1965 until she died in 2013. The two had three sons: Franklin Jr., Wendell, and W. Bertrand McCain.[4] He was also a member of Sigma Pi Phi, the oldest African-American Greek-lettered organization.

## Legacy

[edit]

The section of the lunch counter where McCain and his fellow protesters sat is now preserved at the National Museum of American History.[4] In 2002, North Carolina A&T commissioned a monument to be created in honor of McCain and the three other members of the Greensboro Four. The sculpture named February One was unveiled during the 42nd anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-ins.[14] In addition to the monument, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus.[15]

In 1991, McCain received the honorary Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities from NC A&T State University.[15] He went on to hold positions on the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Board and the National Conference for Christians and Jews.[15] Upon the election of Obama, McCain spoke to NC A&T State alumni declaring that the hard work was "just about to begin" as he urged blacks to be more active in civic events like attending city council meetings.[16]

Franklin McCain's grandson, Franklin "Mac" McCain III, was a starting cornerback for North Carolina A&T, Franklin Sr.'s alma mater. He later played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Memmot, Mark (2014-01-10). "Franklin McCain, One Of 'Greensboro Four,' Dies". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
2. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (2014-01-10). "Franklin McCain, Who Fought for Rights at All-White Lunch Counter, Dies at 73". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
3. ^ a b c Langer, Emily (2014-01-13). "Franklin McCain, who helped inspire sit-ins for civil rights as part of Greensboro Four, dies". Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Franklin McCain, one of 'the Greensboro Four,' dies". Winston-Salem Journal. 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
5. ^ a b Franklin McCain. (2014). In Contemporary Black Biography (Vol. 119). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1606006585/BIC?u=viva_jmu&sid=BIC&xid=f6191656
6. ^ a b c d e f Wolff, Miles (1990). Lunch at the 5 & 10. Elephant Paperbacks. ISBN 0-929587-31-6.
7. ^ a b "Howell Raines interview with Franklin McCain, 1960". web.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
8. ^ a b Roberts, Sam; Bubar, Joe (6 January 2020). "Sitting Down to Take a Stand". The New York Times Upfront.
9. ^ 1972\. Ebony 27 (10): 181.
10. ^ Hoffmann/News, H. S., Hoffmann, H. S., Moebes, J., & Hoffmann, S. (2020, January 10). Look back: Franklin McCain, of the Greensboro Four, died six years ago. Retrieved from https://www.greensboro.com/gallery/look-back-franklin-mccain-of-the-greensboro-four-died-six/collection_c9ed7d18-333e-11ea-bf44-7ffe4f146448.html#3
11. ^ "The A&T Four: February 1st, 1960". The F.D. Bluford Library • North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
12. ^ "Look back: Franklin McCain, of the Greensboro Four, died six years ago". Greensboro News and Record. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
13. ^ An interview with Dr. Franklin McCain, member of the Greensboro Four, retrieved 2020-03-24
14. ^ "N.C. A&T Remembers 'Greensboro Four' With New Statue". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. 27 February 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
15. ^ a b c "A&T History". The F.D. Bluford Library • North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
16. ^ Johnson, Rob. "Counting Steps for Equal Footing: Civil Rights Pioneer Franklin McCain Spoke to an Audience That Has Seen Much Change but Is Told There's Still More to Do." Roanoke Times, The (VA), 20 Jan. 2009.

* v
* t
* e

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Located in: Greensboro, North Carolina

Academics|

| Colleges &
schools|

* College of Arts & Sciences
* College of Engineering
* School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
* School of Business and Economics
* School of Education
* Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering
* School of Nursing
* School of Technology
* School of Graduate Studies

|

People|

* Presidents and Chancellors
* James R. Martin II

Affiliations|

* University of North Carolina
* Southeastern Universities Research Association
* Thurgood Marshall College Fund
* NC Research Campus

Athletics|

| Sports|

* Coastal Athletic Association
* CAA Football
* North Carolina A&T Aggies
* Men's Basketball
* Women's Basketball
* Football
* Baseball
* Rivalries
* North Carolina Central
* South Carolina State
* Winston-Salem State

|

Facilities|

* Ellis F. Corbett Sports Center
* Truist Stadium
* War Memorial Stadium

People|

* Earl Hilton
* Shawn Gibbs
* Ben Hall
* Allen Johnson
* Monté Ross

Campus|

* Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina Historic District
* Deese Clock Tower
* February One
* Observatory

History|

* 1969 Greensboro uprising
* A&T Four
* Jibreel Khazan formerly Ezell A. Blair
* Franklin McCain
* Joseph McNeil
* David Richmond
* Greensboro sit-ins

Student life|

* Alumni
* Blue and Gold Marching Machine
* "Dear A&T" (Alma Mater)
* Fraternities and Sororities
* "NC A&T Aggie Fight Song"
* "Old Aggie Spirit"
* A&T Register (Newspaper)
* WNAA 90.1FM (Radio)

* v
* t
* e

Civil rights movement (1954–1968)

Events
(timeline)|

| Prior to 1954|

* Journey of Reconciliation
* Executive Order 9981
* Murders of Harry and Harriette Moore
* Sweatt v. Painter (1950)
* McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950)
* Baton Rouge bus boycott

|

1954–1959|

* Brown v. Board of Education
* Bolling v. Sharpe
* Briggs v. Elliott
* Davis v. Prince Edward County
* Gebhart v. Belton
* Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company
* Emmett Till
* Montgomery bus boycott
* Browder v. Gayle
* Tallahassee bus boycott
* Mansfield school desegregation
* 1957 Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
* "Give Us the Ballot"
* Royal Ice Cream sit-in
* Little Rock Nine
* Cooper v. Aaron
* Civil Rights Act of 1957
* Ministers' Manifesto
* Katz Drug Store sit-in
* Kissing Case
* Biloxi wade-ins

1960–1963|

* New Year's Day March
* Sit-in movement
* Greensboro sit-ins
* Nashville sit-ins
* Sibley Commission
* Atlanta sit-ins
* Savannah Protest Movement
* Greenville Eight
* Civil Rights Act of 1960
* Ax Handle Saturday
* New Orleans school desegregation
* Gomillion v. Lightfoot
* Boynton v. Virginia
* University of Georgia desegregation riot
* Rock Hill sit-ins
* Robert F. Kennedy's Law Day Address
* Freedom Rides
* Anniston and Birmingham bus attacks
* Garner v. Louisiana
* Albany Movement
* Cambridge movement
* University of Chicago sit-ins
* "Second Emancipation Proclamation"
* Meredith enrollment, Ole Miss riot
* Atlanta's Berlin Wall
* "Segregation now, segregation forever"
* Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
* 1963 Birmingham campaign
* Letter from Birmingham Jail
* Children's Crusade
* Birmingham riot
* 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
* John F. Kennedy's speech to the nation on Civil Rights
* Detroit Walk to Freedom
* March on Washington
* "I Have a Dream"
* Big Six
* St. Augustine movement

1964–1968|

* Twenty-fourth Amendment
* Chester school protests
* Bloody Tuesday
* 1964 Monson Motor Lodge protests
* Freedom Summer
* workers' murders
* Civil Rights Act of 1964
* Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States
* Katzenbach v. McClung
* 1964–1965 Scripto strike
* 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches
* "How Long, Not Long"
* SCOPE Project
* Voting Rights Act of 1965
* Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections
* March Against Fear
* White House Conference on Civil Rights
* Chicago Freedom Movement/Chicago open housing movement
* Loving v. Virginia
* Memphis sanitation strike
* King assassination
* funeral
* riots
* Civil Rights Act of 1968
* Poor People's Campaign
* Green v. County School Board of New Kent County
* Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co.
* 1968 Olympics Black Power salute

Activist
groups|

* Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights
* American Friends Service Committee
* Atlanta Negro Voters League
* Atlanta Student Movement
* Black Panther Party
* Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
* Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
* Committee for Freedom Now
* Committee on Appeal for Human Rights
* An Appeal for Human Rights
* Council for United Civil Rights Leadership
* Council of Federated Organizations
* Dallas County Voters League
* Deacons for Defense and Justice
* Georgia Council on Human Relations
* Highlander Folk School
* Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
* Lowndes County Freedom Organization
* Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
* Montgomery Improvement Association
* NAACP
* Youth Council
* Nashville Student Movement
* Nation of Islam
* Northern Student Movement
* National Council of Negro Women
* National Urban League
* Operation Breadbasket
* Regional Council of Negro Leadership
* Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
* Southern Regional Council
* Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
* The Freedom Singers
* United Auto Workers (UAW)
* Wednesdays in Mississippi
* Women's Political Council

Activists|

* Juanita Abernathy
* Ralph Abernathy
* Victoria Gray Adams
* Zev Aelony
* Mathew Ahmann
* Muhammad Ali
* William G. Anderson
* Gwendolyn Armstrong
* Arnold Aronson
* Ella Baker
* James Baldwin
* Marion Barry
* Daisy Bates
* Harry Belafonte
* James Bevel
* Claude Black
* Gloria Blackwell
* Randolph Blackwell
* Unita Blackwell
* Ezell Blair Jr.
* Joanne Bland
* Julian Bond
* Joseph E. Boone
* William Holmes Borders
* Amelia Boynton
* Bruce Boynton
* Raylawni Branch
* Stanley Branche
* Ruby Bridges
* Aurelia Browder
* H. Rap Brown
* Ralph Bunche
* John H. Calhoun
* Guy Carawan
* Stokely Carmichael
* Johnnie Carr
* James Chaney
* J. L. Chestnut
* Shirley Chisholm
* Colia Lafayette Clark
* Ramsey Clark
* Septima Clark
* Xernona Clayton
* Eldridge Cleaver
* Kathleen Cleaver
* Josephine Dobbs Clement
* Charles E. Cobb Jr.
* Annie Lee Cooper
* Dorothy Cotton
* Claudette Colvin
* Vernon Dahmer
* Jonathan Daniels
* Abraham Lincoln Davis
* Angela Davis
* Joseph DeLaine
* Dave Dennis
* Annie Bell Robinson Devine
* John Wesley Dobbs
* Patricia Stephens Due
* Joseph Ellwanger
* Charles Evers
* Medgar Evers
* Myrlie Evers-Williams
* Chuck Fager
* James Farmer
* Walter Fauntroy
* James Forman
* Marie Foster
* Golden Frinks
* Andrew Goodman
* Robert Graetz
* Fred Gray
* Jack Greenberg
* Dick Gregory
* Lawrence Guyot
* Prathia Hall
* Fannie Lou Hamer
* Fred Hampton
* William E. Harbour
* Vincent Harding
* Dorothy Height
* Audrey Faye Hendricks
* Lola Hendricks
* Aaron Henry
* Oliver Hill
* Donald L. Hollowell
* James Hood
* Myles Horton
* Zilphia Horton
* T. R. M. Howard
* Ruby Hurley
* Cecil Ivory
* Jesse Jackson
* Jimmie Lee Jackson
* Richie Jean Jackson
* T. J. Jemison
* Esau Jenkins
* Barbara Rose Johns
* Vernon Johns
* Frank Minis Johnson
* Clarence Jones
* J. Charles Jones
* Matthew Jones
* Vernon Jordan
* Tom Kahn
* Clyde Kennard
* A. D. King
* C.B. King
* Coretta Scott King
* Martin Luther King Jr.
* Martin Luther King Sr.
* Bernard Lafayette
* James Lawson
* Bernard Lee
* Sanford R. Leigh
* Jim Letherer
* Stanley Levison
* John Lewis
* Viola Liuzzo
* Z. Alexander Looby
* Joseph Lowery
* Clara Luper
* Danny Lyon
* Malcolm X
* Mae Mallory
* Vivian Malone
* Bob Mants
* Thurgood Marshall
* Benjamin Mays
* Franklin McCain
* Charles McDew
* Ralph McGill
* Floyd McKissick
* Joseph McNeil
* James Meredith
* William Ming
* Jack Minnis
* Amzie Moore
* Cecil B. Moore
* Douglas E. Moore
* Harriette Moore
* Harry T. Moore
* Queen Mother Moore
* William Lewis Moore
* Irene Morgan
* Bob Moses
* William Moyer
* Elijah Muhammad
* Diane Nash
* Charles Neblett
* Huey P. Newton
* Edgar Nixon
* Jack O'Dell
* James Orange
* Rosa Parks
* James Peck
* Charles Person
* Homer Plessy
* Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
* Fay Bellamy Powell
* Rodney N. Powell
* Al Raby
* Lincoln Ragsdale
* A. Philip Randolph
* George Raymond
* George Raymond Jr.
* Bernice Johnson Reagon
* Cordell Reagon
* James Reeb
* Frederick D. Reese
* Walter Reuther
* Gloria Richardson
* David Richmond
* Bernice Robinson
* Jo Ann Robinson
* Angela Russell
* Bayard Rustin
* Bernie Sanders
* Michael Schwerner
* Bobby Seale
* Pete Seeger
* Cleveland Sellers
* Charles Sherrod
* Alexander D. Shimkin
* Fred Shuttlesworth
* Modjeska Monteith Simkins
* Glenn E. Smiley
* A. Maceo Smith
* Kelly Miller Smith
* Mary Louise Smith
* Maxine Smith
* Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson
* Charles Kenzie Steele
* Hank Thomas
* Dorothy Tillman
* A. P. Tureaud
* Hartman Turnbow
* Albert Turner
* C. T. Vivian
* A. T. Walden
* Wyatt Tee Walker
* Hollis Watkins
* Walter Francis White
* Roy Wilkins
* Hosea Williams
* Kale Williams
* Robert F. Williams
* Q. V. Williamson
* Andrew Young
* Whitney Young
* Sammy Younge Jr.
* Bob Zellner
* James Zwerg

By region|

* Omaha, Nebraska
* South Carolina

Movement
songs|

* "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round"
* "If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus"
* "Kumbaya"
* "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize"
* "Oh, Freedom"
* "This Little Light of Mine"
* "We Shall Not Be Moved"
* "We Shall Overcome"
* "Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind Stayed On Freedom)"

Influences|

* Nonviolence
* Padayatra
* Sermon on the Mount
* Mahatma Gandhi
* Ahimsa
* Satyagraha
* The Kingdom of God Is Within You
* Frederick Douglass
* W. E. B. Du Bois
* Mary McLeod Bethune

Related|

* Lyndon B. Johnson
* Jim Crow laws
* Lynching in the United States
* Plessy v. Ferguson
* Separate but equal
* Buchanan v. Warley
* Hocutt v. Wilson
* Sweatt v. Painter
* Hernandez v. Texas
* Loving v. Virginia
* African-American women in the movement
* Jews in the civil rights movement
* Fifth Circuit Four
* 16th Street Baptist Church
* Kelly Ingram Park
* A.G. Gaston Motel
* Bethel Baptist Church
* Brown Chapel
* Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
* Holt Street Baptist Church
* Edmund Pettus Bridge
* March on Washington Movement
* African-American churches attacked
* List of lynching victims in the United States
* Freedom Schools
* Freedom songs
* Spring Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam
* "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence"
* Voter Education Project
* 1960s counterculture
* African American founding fathers of the United States
* Eyes on the Prize

Legacy|

* In popular culture
* Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
* Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
* Civil Rights Memorial
* Civil Rights Movement Archive
* Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
* Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument
* Freedom Rides Museum
* Freedom Riders National Monument
* King Center for Nonviolent Social Change
* Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
* other King memorials
* Mississippi Civil Rights Museum
* National Civil Rights Museum
* National Voting Rights Museum
* St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Monument
* Olympic Black Power Statue

Noted
historians|

* Taylor Branch
* Clayborne Carson
* John Dittmer
* Michael Eric Dyson
* Chuck Fager
* Adam Fairclough
* David Garrow
* David Halberstam
* Vincent Harding
* Steven F. Lawson
* Doug McAdam
* Diane McWhorter
* Charles M. Payne
* Thomas E. Ricks
* Timothy Tyson
* Akinyele Umoja
* Movement photographers

Civil rights movement portal

* v
* t
* e

F. W. Woolworth Company—Foot Locker

Company|

* F. W. Woolworth Company
* Champs Sports
* Eastbay
* Foot Locker
* Kinney Shoes
* Woolco
* Claire's
* Afterthoughts
* Other divisions and namesakes

Buildings|

* List of Woolworth buildings
* Woolworth Building
* St. Louis Office
* Shadow Lawn
* Columbus Store
* Evansville Store
* Kansas City Store
* Broadway, Los Angeles Store
* Hollywood, Los Angeles Store
* Lexington Store
* Renton Store
* San Diego Store
* Watertown Store
* Wilmington Store
* Winfield Hall
* Winfield House

Culture|

* "Love at the Five and Dime"
* Seafoam salad
* Woolworth v. Contemporary Arts

Events|

* Foot Locker Cross Country

Civil rights|

* Greensboro sit-ins
* Ezell Blair Jr.
* Franklin McCain
* Joseph McNeil
* David Richmond
* International Civil Rights Center and Museum
* February One
* Clarence Harris
* Lexington Woolworths
* Nashville sit-ins

Family|

* Frank Winfield Woolworth
* Barbara Hutton
* Poor Little Rich Girl
* Lance Reventlow
* Seymour H. Knox I

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[c.]: circa
*[m.]: married
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