The Greensboro Four

The interior of Harrison Auditorium on the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University campus was half full for the memorial service for alumnus Joseph McNeil. His smiling image was projected on a large on-stage screen.

Race

NC A&T community honors and memorializes civil rights icon Joseph McNeil

David Ford

A memorial service was held at NC A&T's Harrison Auditorium on Thursday for alumnus and civil rights leader Major General Joseph McNeil. He died on September 4, 2025, at the age of 83.

Wilmington native, NC A&T alumnus, and Civil Rights icon Major General Joseph McNeil (far right) in 2020.

Race

Civil rights icon Major General Joseph McNeil has died

David Ford

Major General Joseph McNeil was one of the Black freshmen from North Carolina A&T State University who staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter, sparking a national movement. McNeil passed away Thursday morning at the age of 83.

A motorcyclist navigates the Linn Cove Viaduct at Grandfather Mountain along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, N.C., Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, as autumn colors begin to appear at certain elevations. GERRY BROOME/AP

Culture

Two Piedmont sites receive National Historic Landmark designations

Santiago Ochoa

The National Parks Service recently recognized the F.W. Woolworth Building and Blue Ridge Parkway as National Historic Landmarks.