Franklin McCain

Early life, education and protest

McCain was born in Union County, North Carolina, on January 3, 1941. He attended James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro for one year where he initially met his soon-to-be partner in the Greensboro Sit-ins, Ezell Blair Jr., but moved with his family to Northeast, Washington, D.C. McCain graduated from Eastern High School in Washington D.C. in 1959. In the fall of 1959, McCain enrolled at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. During McCain's first year, he lived in a dormitory with David Richmond and resided in the same building as Ezell Blair Jr. and Joseph McNeil. During this time, the four men became extremely close friends. They would frequently gather in one of their dorms to have deep conversations about racial inequalities in America. The conversations would go on for so long that it was common for the men to fall asleep right where they sat chatting. McCain said that they "finally felt hypocritical" for doing nothing along with many in the country, and they decided it was time to take a stance.

McCain weighed over 200 pounds and towered over his comrades at 6'2". Despite his intimidating build, he was regarded as quiet and was not on any athletic teams in school, as he instead preferred the close companionship of his friends. McCain and his three friends devised a plan to sit down at a store's white-only counter and not leave until they were served. McCain later said that five-and-dime stores would often put ads on TV encouraging everyone to shop in their store, but once black people got there, they were treated as unwelcome guests. He said it really "added insult to injury", so the men thought this would be a good place to start their protest. Ultimately, it was McCain who gave the final call as his friends began to get cold feet about the situation. Quiet McCain is remembered for saying, "Are you guys chicken or not?" Moments later, the four men were out the door on the way to accomplish their mission.

In February 1960, the four men refused to leave Woolworth's, one of the world's largest retailers, after they were denied service. McCain later said, "I felt that this could be the last day of my life" but that "we had absolutely no choice." Despite being scared, the men stood their ground. McCain compared the men to "Mack trucks" because there was no way anyone could move them from their seats. The longer the men sat, the more McCain realized that no one was stopping them. He recalled thinking, "Maybe they can't do anything to us; maybe we can keep it up." Ten days later, the protest had spread to fifteen cities in five different states. The movement's success helped prove that non-violent and mobilized citizens could make a profound difference. Martin Luther King Jr. even credited the sit-ins with giving new energy to the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1964, McCain graduated from North Carolina A&T with bachelor's degrees in both biology and chemistry. He later earned his Master of Arts degree from A&T and also studied and trained at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Princeton University in New Jersey, Farr Associates in Greensboro and American Management Association in New York City.