The Aggie Legacy of Social Justice.
North Carolina A&T’s history of Advocating for social justice and equality has played a huge role as it relates to the African American experience. As I began to research the HistoryMakers Digital Archive I keyword searched “college protest” in North Carolina, in the 1960’s. I then found Bonnie Jackson who was a freshman at North Carolina Central University but recalls the sit-in protest in Greensboro led by North Carolina A&T Students. 'The sit-ins started in Greensboro. Floyd McKissick was the leader in that area, and he galvanized the students at NCC to do the same thing that the students at A&T did, and so, we went to sit-in and protest.’
North Carolina A&T, started to establish a culture familiar to other HBCU around the country. That culture was tied into the experiences of attending an HBCU, one in which included the advocacy of social justice and equality. The (Aggie Activism) has had a strong role in the Black experience, not only for the students but the community as a whole. The experience of social injustice within North Carolina A&T alone, has unified the African Americans .
In 1969, there was a Greensboro uprising protest on NC A&T’s Campus sparked by civil rights issues at a segregated High School in Greensboro, many student involved protested against this injustice stoked fear in Greensboro of young black activist and the Nation Guard was called to deescalate the situation and ultimatly opened fire on students, shooting into dorms and other buildings. To get a first hand encounter on the event, I went to the topic search and clicked the racial violence/ riots/ hate crimes under the racial issues tab. I then searched Greensboro Uprising and found Sandra Hughes, a former student who recalls the events. “I mean, I didn't know them, I just know at least one guy was shot and killed, another, a couple of others got shot. My cousin that I grew up with was in Scott Hall and he said they were hiding under beds and closets and everything else trying to keep the shots that, you know, were coming at the building from hitting one of them.”, Hughes goes on to say”.
Recently in 2018, Greensboro officials tried to redistrict the Greensboro area by splitting the district down the middle of A&T’s campus to suppress the black vote. NC A&T students fought against this voter suppression by attending town hall meetings and taking this issue to court to settle and win this dispute. The experience of attending an HBCU will always be obstacles and barriers that will try to stop the black community from success, however, that must be overcome.
