Joseph McNeil
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Joseph Alfred McNeil (born March 25, 1942) is a retired major general in the United States Air Force who is best known for being a member of the
Greensboro Four The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in February to July 1960, primarily in the Woolworth store—now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum—in Greensboro, North Carolina, which led to the F. W. Woolworth Comp ...
; a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated
Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses * F. W. Woolworth Company, the original US-based chain of "five and dime" (5¢ and 10¢) stores * Woolworths Group (United Kingdom), former operator of the Woolworths chain of shops ...
lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of denying service to non-white customers.


Early life and education

Joseph McNeil was born on March 25, 1942, in Wilmington, North Carolina. McNeil grew up in Wilmington and was president of his parish's Catholic Youth Council.  McNeil attended Williston Senior High School, where he was greatly influenced by his high school teachers. Williston Senior High School was a black school, so there were things taught their students that were probably not taught at the integrated schools. His high school instructors taught their students what their rights were as citizens: what rights they should and don't have, how they could go about obtaining their rights, and how they should react if their homes were invaded. Teachers would often say things like, “They can take your house, your car, all your physical belongings, but they can’t take what you have up here.” Williston Senior High School had some real solid, inspirational teachers that instilled a real sense of “go out and do something” mentality to their students. After high school graduation, McNeil's family moved to New York City to seek better job opportunities. In the fall, McNeil entered North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University on a full scholarship. A stark contrast from the more open northern society, McNeil found it difficult living in the segregated south. It was at North Carolina A&T where McNeil met three other freshmen:
Ezell Blair Jr. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated ...
,
Franklin McCain 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 an ...
, and David Richmond, and the four would later become known as the
Greensboro Four The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests in February to July 1960, primarily in the Woolworth store—now the International Civil Rights Center and Museum—in Greensboro, North Carolina, which led to the F. W. Woolworth Comp ...
. The four gravitated towards each other because they lived on the same floor of the dormitory and shared similar interests. After attending a concert with his friends, McNeil snapped into action because he watched several members of the audience being inconsiderate and arrogant. It was at that moment that McNeil and his peers wanted to act in response to the unacceptable behavior observed at the concert.  McNeil began to check out and read several books on propaganda and projection of ideas from the library, one, in particular, was '' The New Negro''. It is often believed that McNeil and his peers were inspired by Gandhi, however, McNeil said, “I’m not nonviolent. I’m an agnostic. I see the need for strong religious identification in this thing Civil Rights Movement">Civil_rights_movement.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Civil rights movement">Civil Rights Movementand the work of religious leaders.”COMMENTARY: THE WITNESS FOR JUSTICE BEGINS AT HOME. (2020, February 6). ''States News Service'', p. NA. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A613310630/BIC?u=viva_jmu&sid=BIC&xid=c94eb45a McNeil would pray and attend church because the church was the rallying point of the movement and it is a rallying point today. Gandhi's ways were expedient, and they were the only thing that McNeil and others in the Civil Rights Movement could do. The people acting in the Civil Rights Movement could not afford to be violent because it would blow the image that the movement was trying to project. Joseph McNeil was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps">Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at North Carolina A&T. ROTC taught McNeil a different type of leadership: things are done methodically, there is an objective, and most importantly, you follow. If one is ever going to lead, then one must follow. McNeil and the rest of the Greensboro Four heavily relied on the students in ROTC to provide the mobilization concepts, attend meetings, and negotiate. People within the local community, ministers, and undertakers came together to support the movement. McNeil's most memorable memory was that if he needed bail money for going to jail, that various African American Greensboro citizens would offer to put up their land as bail. McNeil and his peers didn't need much money because they would just need money to make a picket sign. The fact that McNeil and his peers were students, their needs were simple since they had shelter, food, and could take risks that others couldn't. McNeil would often converse with NAACP member and local Greensboro merchant, Ralph Johns. Ralph was greatly immersed in the community as he demonstratively showed support for North Carolina A&T and the students. Ralph would tell McNeil about how he tried to convince people to do a sit-in type of protest, and McNeil felt a deep need to contribute. The Greensboro sit-ins became a reality because of the support and direction that Ralph Johns gave McNeil and his peers. Ralph understood that the sit-in needed to be publicized because without publicity, it is like a tree falling in the forest and nobody noticing. Ralph was the one who notified
Jo Spivey Jo, jo, JO, or J.O. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Jo (film), ''Jo'' (film), a 1972 French comedy * Jo (TV series), ''Jo'' (TV series), a French TV series *"Jo", a song by Goldfrapp from ''Tales of Us'' *"Jo", a song by Mr. Oizo from ''La ...
and the press about the sit-in at the downtown Greensboro Woolworth Store.    As it goes, on February 1, 1960; McNeil, along with three other A&T freshmen:
Ezell Blair Jr. Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated ...
,
Franklin McCain 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 an ...
and David Richmond, walked together from the university's library to the downtown Greensboro Woolworth store. Once there, the men purchased items from a desegregated counter, and then sat down at the "whites only" lunch counter where the group was refused service. McNeil and the group stayed until the store closed, and then left to return the next day."The Greensboro Four"
, North Carolina Museum of History. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
As media coverage of the demonstrations grew, more protests were being staged through the state of North Carolina, and other
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cities. As sales at boycotted stores began to be affected by the protests, store owners began to serve all customers in their establishments. After staging the sit-ins, McNeil became involved with the formation of the Student Executive Committee for Justice. This joint organization between A&T students and the women of nearby Bennett College, focused on the picketing of segregated downtown Greensboro establishments. McNeil would later participate in negotiations between student protesters, Woolworth's management, and the Human Relations Commission. In 1963, McNeil would go on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics from North Carolina A&T and was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the university's
ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
program immediately after graduation.


Military career

In July 1963, McNeil was assigned to James Connally Air Force Base near Waco, Texas for Training. From 1964 to 1969, McNeil was assigned to
Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder, South Dakota, Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assi ...
, South Dakota where he served as a KC-135 navigator. McNeil spent considerable time in Southeast Asia flying in operations Arc Light and Young Tiger. During this period, he was promoted to the ranks of first lieutenant and
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
. In 1972, McNeil served as a navigator instructor, flight commander, executive officer and Commander of the 702nd Military Airlift Squadron at
McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...
, New Jersey. During this time, he also served as a liaison officer in for the
U.S. Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Unit ...
. In 1989, McNeil served as special assistant to the Vice Commander and Commander of the 514th Airlift Wing at McGuire Air Force Base. During this time, McNeil was promoted to the ranks of
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
,
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
, and colonel. After leaving active duty in 1969 with the rank of captain, McNeil continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve. From 1992 to 1995, he served as vice commander, and later commander, of the 22nd Air Force stationed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. He would also be promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1994. In August 1995, McNeil would serve as mobilization assistant to the vice commander, and later the commander, at the
Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
Headquarters at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. In 2000, McNeil retired from the Air Force Reserve as a major general, having been promoted to the rank in 1996. After a military career of over thirty-seven years, and over 6,600 flight hours, he received the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal upon retirement.


Civilian career

As a traditional reservist, McNeil was able to develop a civilian career while continuing to serve in the U.S. Air Force. McNeil established himself in the private and public sectors with time spent starting a series of diversity programs, working in computer sales for IBM, working for the
Bankers Trust Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpor ...
in New York City as a commercial banker, and as a stockbroker for
E.F. Hutton EF Hutton was an American stock brokerage firm founded in 1904 by Edward Francis Hutton and his brother, Franklyn Laws Hutton. Later, it was led by well known Wall Street trader Gerald M. Loeb. Under their leadership, EF Hutton became one of ...
in Fayetteville, North Carolina. McNeil joined the Federal Aviation Administration, where he served as assistant division manager of the administration's Eastern Region Flight Standards Division and the manager of the New York Flight Standards District Office. In 2002, McNeil retired from the Federal Aviation Administration, after serving for over 15 years.


Civilian honors and legacy

McNeil holds four honorary doctorates; a Doctor of Philosophy degree from his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University in 1991; a Doctor of Laws degree from
St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...
in 1998; a Doctor of Humanities from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2010; and a Doctor of Laws degree from Molloy College in 2015. In 2002, North Carolina A&T commissioned a statue to be sculpted honoring McNeil, along with the three other members of the A&T four; Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (later known as Jibreel Khazan), and David Richmond. In addition, the four men each have residence halls named for them on the university campus. In 2010, McNeil was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution.


Personal life

McNeil is married to Ina McNeil (''nee'' Brown). Brown, an accomplished Indigenous quilt maker, is of Lakota descent and the great-great granddaughter of
Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock I ...
. The two met while he was stationed in South Dakota, while working with an organization that exposed discriminatory housing practices in the state. The two were married in 1967, and together have 5 children.


References


External links


Oral history interviews with Joseph McNeil by Eugene Pfaff and William Chafe
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeil, Joseph 1942 births Living people Activists for African-American civil rights North Carolina A&T State University alumni F. W. Woolworth Company People from Wilmington, North Carolina Military personnel from North Carolina United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Activists from North Carolina United States Air Force generals