Joseph McNeil, who helped spark a protest movement at a North Carolina lunch counter, dies at 83
September 4, 2025
Joseph McNeil, a key figure in the civil rights movement, has died at 83. McNeil was one of four students who staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960. This act sparked similar nonviolent protests across the South. McNeil later became a two-star general. North Carolina A&T State University and his family announced his death on Thursday. McNeil had faced recent health challenges. The university’s chancellor said McNeil and his classmates had inspired the nation with their courageous, peaceful protest. Only one of the four protesters is now alive.