In the same spirit as it was exactly 50 years ago, downtown Greensboro was the center of attention on February 1st. In honor of the A&T Four (Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and Ezell Blair Jr., and the late David Richmond), for their courageous sit-in at the F.W. Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960, the International Civil Rights Center & Museum opened at the corner of N. Elm St. and February One Place at 8:35 Monday morning with a ribbon cutting.

“I was reminded of the anxieties that I had on February 1st, 1960, and I make the distinction between anxieties and fear because I certainly was not afraid,” McCain said. “I was thinking about the options that I had given myself on that day. One was that if I were extremely lucky, I would go to jail for a long, long time.

If I were not so lucky, I would be carried back to my campus in a pine box. This entire day has brought back all of these memories and I feel more than honored today.”

McCain’s anxieties of 50 years ago seemed to be put to rest with the festivities at 5:30 a.m. with the breakfast at the Empire Ballroom. While esteemed guests such as Chancellor Harold Martin, and Co-Founder Melvin “Skip” Alston spoke at the event and national media cameras film rolled, Bishop Cecil Bishop delivered a speech recognizing the A&T Four in the same vein as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

Immediately following the commemorative breakfast, thousands gathered outside in below freezing temperatures with snow and ice covering the ground at the ribbon cutting ceremony of the museum.

“In a certain sense, this is a magical moment because I suppose, unlike the other places, here in Greensboro there was not only a precedent that had been made but also a womb in which we as students were protected,” Rev. Jesse Jackson said.

“There was a sense in which these four young men had a certain readiness. Significant of their innocence, they were not seen as political. They were not part of a party. There was something about their dignity – it was non-negotiable.”

The A&T Four weren’t the only special guests to come out in honor of the opening of the Museum.  North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan, a Greensboro native, also came out to help commemorate the opening.”It’s (the museum) historical for Greensboro, North Carolina, and for our country and I am very excited to be here,” Hagan said.

“I can remember working downtown 15, 20 years ago eating lunch in the Woolworths.”

Hagan spoke about the changes she has seen in not only Greensboro, but also the south in general, highlighting the significance of this day as a victory for rights everywhere. For the locals in Greensboro, Hagan feels they have the most pride in the museum despite all the challenges it faced trying to open.

“There is a sense of pride that our community helped foster the civil rights movement. And I’m really proud of North Carolina A&T and the students that had the courage and fortitude to walk over here and actually sit at a whites only lunch counter. I’m proud of them and I’m honored to know the three (A&T Four members) that are living.”

Also speaking at the event was North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, who insisted through her speech at the ribbon cutting that this museum not only serve to honor the A&T Four, but provide the current generation with a sense of purpose.

“The refusal by all of us to accept the status quo is as important today as it was for those four men from A&T,” Perdue said.

• Dexter R. Mullins & Malcolm S. Eustache