Congressman Larry Kissell paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the historic Civil Rights demonstration known as the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In Wednesday evening in Washington. Kissell and his guest, Laurinburg Institute President Frank “Bishop” McDuffie, attended the Running Against the Storm: 50th Anniversary of the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The ceremony honored the sit-in protest of four African-American youths at a downtown Greensboro Woolworth’s. The original protest and ensuing sit-in demonstrations spread throughout the Southeast and were seen as a key step in the Civil Rights movement.

During the ceremony, the Greensboro Four (Dr. Jibreel Khazan, Dr. Franklin E McCain, Major General Joseph McNeil and the late Mr. David L. Richmond) were honored with the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal. These men started the protest by sitting at the “whites only” downtown lunch counter.

“The bravery and courage of conviction shown by the Greensboro Four stand as an example to us all. Their fight to right this racial injustice is testament to what we all can achieve. The Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In is a historic moment in our nation’s history and in North Carolina’s history,” Kissell said. “The impact of their protests reverberates throughout this country even today. It was an honor to commemorate this extraordinary moment in our Civil Rights history, and it was privilege to have Bishop McDuffie as my guest for this historic ceremony.”

The event brought back many memories for McDuffie.

“Having lived through the Civil Rights movement time period, it brought many memories and admiration for the courage of these young men,” McDuffie said. “I certainly appreciate Congressman Kissell’s openness and willingness to affect positive change for a community that is not his by birth. But he has accepted that responsibility to affect change in our community.”