February 1

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THE A&T

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VoLUMe LXXXV no. 15

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SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 80 YEARS

Museum reflects on its anniversary KELCIE C. MCCRAE Editor-in-Chief

Today marks not only the anniversary of four young men who sparked change throughout the country, but it also marks the anniversary of a museum that strives to serve as an educational beacon to the people. The International Civil Rights Center & Museum opened its doors two years ago today, and since the first visitors toured this former department store in downtown Greensboro, they have edu-

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FeBrUarY 1, 2012

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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T

Keeping the Tradition

cated over 65,000 patrons. “I’m proud of what we’ve done,” said Lolita Watkins, curatorial program associate. “We started out initially with a goal of making sure we had programs that were of interest to those of our community in terms of youth, adults, and life-long learners, and I think we’ve done a good job of encompassing these communities.” Sparked out of the heels of the sit-in movement, this museum provides an in-depth  See MUSEUM on Page 2

File photo

SEVERAL N.C. distinguished guests cut the ribbon for the museum on February 1, 2010.

Ringing in the dollars for Feb. 1 breakfast LATISHA FREEMAN Contributor

The A&T Four have been celebrated every year since Feb. 1, 1960 and this year marks the 52nd Sit-In Anniversary. The festivities planned are completely paid for with student money. The February One celebration observes courageous actions contributed by Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., Joseph McNeil, the late David L. Richmond. These 1960 freshmen are known for protesting after being refused service at the segregated lunch counter of the F. W. Woolworth’s store in downtown Greensboro. Along with the Division of Student Affairs, the student government association will be hosting a Sit-In Breakfast Celebration that will feature the A&T Four and guest speaker, Darryl C. Towns, Commissioner and CEO of NYS Homes and Community Renewal. Expenses for the A&T Four and guest speaker is $10,591.58; the bulk of the February One expenditure. “We have a very lean budget this year because most speakers require between $7,500 to $25,000 per event,” said dean of students Judy Rashid. Students are encouraged to attend all events that are surrounded by the February One Celebration. Approximately 200 students from different student organizations will be participating in the celebration such as the N.C. A&T Army and Air Force ROTC, the university choir, the gospel choir, and members of the SGA. Both choirs will be paid $300. “I attend the February One Celebration because the program is designed to bring students together,” said Kourtney Lowe, a sophomore animal science major. It reminds us that Aggies are exceptional

and are destined to succeed. The presence of the A&T Four brings an astonishing atmosphere to the university.” Other student organizations that attend the festivities yearly include the council of presidents, the national PanHellenic council as well as resident hall administration, community supporters, alumni and university administration. Seven to eight tables will be reserved for general students. Students who do attend the breakfast will not be required to pay for anything. The food will be provided by Sodexo, which comes to a total of $2,206.58. There will also be an invitation only reception held for the A&T Four that will provide food. After food, the third most expensive aspect of the February One Celebration is printing. The save the date posters and cards come to a total of $740 and the 500 program booklets come to an amount of $750, a grand total of $1,490. This year will also be the first time the university offers two $1,500 scholarships to high school students if they are accepted into A&T. One scholarship is based off an essay award and the other is an art poster award. In whole the February Once expenses are mainly directed to travel for the guests, food, printing, decorations and possible scholarships for prospective students. All expenses come to a grand total of $20,254.86. This amount is what is expected for the annual celebration. “We are celebrating the lives of students and designed this year’s celebration to empower students”, said Rashid. “The university is dedicated to encourage students and demonstrate by the A&T Four that anything is possible.” -lmfreem1@ncat.edu and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

PHOTO BY KENNETH L. HAWKINS, JR. • the A&t ReGiSteR

THE NEW A&T FOUR Michael Griffen, Mitchell Brown, Christian Robinson, and Brandon Brockington embody much of the original A&t Four.

52 years later, Aggies hold onto the the A&t Four legacy SYLVIA OBELL

Manging Editor

Every year on Feb. 1, N.C. A&T pays homage to its past. Through a series of events, those four brave freshmen who risked it all to stand up, or in this case sit down, in the face of injustice are honored. The A&T Four are arguably the school’s most celebrated alumni and the legacy of starting the sit-in movement is the universities crown jewel. Feb. 1, 1960 was 52 years ago. Since then, thousands of Aggies have enrolled and graduated, yet none have done anything notable enough to garner a larger celebration. Some would argue that A&T rests on its past too much. So on this Feb. 1, lets take a look into the present and highlight four A&T men who are continuing in the legacy that the A&T Four set forth: Mitchell Brown, Michael Griffen, Christian Robinson, and Branden Brockington. Each of these young men are determined to change the world in some way or another, but before they conquer planet Earth they’ve started right here in Aggieland. There’s Griffen, an economics major from High Point, who currently serves as the SGA chief of staff. His resume runs a mile long, chock full of everything from Managing Leadership For Tomorrow to honor societies and scholars, to conducting research on disproportioned minority contacts in Guilford County. A&T can thank its alumni for bringing him here, “I had a lot of people who advocated for me to come

File photo

WHILE the original four were sitting in jail, more Aggies went back to protest at Woolworth’s on Feb. 2.

to A&T. They knew I would do well here,” he said. “I knew a lot of alums that were heavy hitters and I knew it would allow me to become a part of the legacy of the university.” Mitchell Brown also knew he would find his way into the legacy of the university. “A&T wasn’t my first choice; I’m not going to lie. I wanted to be a Morehouse man. But when I was 11, I sat my parents down and told them I would work hard in school to make sure they didn’t have to pay a dime for my college education. A&T offered me the most money.” Brown was part of the first class of Dowdy Scholars at A&T that granted

him a full four year scholarship. It’s safe to say A&T made a good investment because Brown has been active from year one. He’s been apart of SGA for four years — two years of senate, last year as SGA parliamentarian, and currently he serves as vice-president of internal affairs. “I knew I would make SGA my four year internship in politics early on, because that is truly what it is,” he said. Brown is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Faternity, Inc., an on campus provost scholars program, and Common Cause at A&T, to name a few. “I was meant to come here to help people. Not in a sympathetic way,

but just to be a legacy of excellence on this campus - a model of success.” SGA President Christian Robinson is no different when it comes to having an outstanding amount of accolades under his belt. He too has been on SGA for all four years of his college career. He’s been an OSL, a Thurgood Marshall campus ambassador, and much more. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Interestingly enough A&T not his first choice but and was in actuality his last. “My brother went here and so did some family, so they made me apply. A&T ended up giving me the most money. I visited it during my Spring break, loved it and decided to come,” he said. Branden Brockington is a slightly different type of revolutionary. The Baltimore native took a year off after high school because he felt it was his responsibility to stay and protect his family. “When my mom got married the next year I felt it was ok for me to leave. A&T was actually the only school I applied to that year. I had come for a college tour and felt something, I later learned it was Aggie Pride.” Brockington’s campus affiliations is not extensive, in fact it begins and ends at Couture Word, but that has not made his impact on campus any less impressive. “Unlike the other guys I’m not really apart of a lot of organizations. I’ve just performed for them all versus being in them. They all have me do it because of my voice and I’m honored by that,” he said. He has performed  See A&T FOUR on Page 2


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February 1 by The A&T Register - Issuu