On January 16, 2014, hundreds gathered at North Carolina A&T to honor the life of Franklin Eugene McCain.
Fifty years ago, McCain along with three fellow African American college students, made history by sitting at a Woolworth's white-only lunch counter in Greensboro waiting for service. After their actions sparked similar sit-ins across the South, these courageous students gained national attention and became known as the "Greensboro Four."
Jane Patterson, a longtime Trustee of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, reflects on her memories of McCain.
"As a young woman raised by a father who taught me that the color of your skin should not determine the opportunities you have, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend more than eight years working with the civil rights movement, helping North Carolina and the South, 'bend toward justice' (as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once stated). I remember meeting Franklin McCain when I entered college. He spoke about how we must move this country forward to fully integrate African Americans into our society. His inspirational words stayed with me. The bold stance taken by McCain and his compatriots at A&T infused in me a renewed drive to see that the slope of history should bend toward justice for all."
ZSR recognized McCain's determination to achieve equality for all people throughout his life by awarding him with the Nancy Susan Reynolds award for Advocacy in 1993. This award was granted annually by ZSR between 1985 and 2010, to unsung heroes who made significant contributions to North Carolina communities in three categories – Race Relations, Advocacy and Personal Service.
Below is a 1993 video produced by ZSR to honor McCain's contributions.