Village resident and Founding member of Greensboro Four Sit-ins to be honored with street dedication and school renaming on February 27th, 2018.
Next week marks a very special couple of days in the Village of Hempstead and especially for one of our true heroes. For starters, on Tuesday, February 27, as part of the Village of Hempstead’s 375th Anniversary celebration, I will be joined by Village Trustees and other distinguished dignitaries and guests during an Honorary Street naming ceremony of Angevine Avenue to General Joseph A. McNeil Avenue (corner of Angevine Avenue and Greenwich Street).
Retired Major General Joseph A. McNeil is a Decorated United States Air Force Veteran, Hempstead Village resident and National Hero. McNeil founded “The Greensboro Four,” responsible for a series of nonviolent, sit-in protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960, which led to the Woolworth Department Store chain removing its policy of racial segregation and catapulting the Civil Rights Movement in the south into the national spotlight. We will be paying tribute to General McNeil for his role in changing the course of American history and for impacting the lives of African Americans for generations. We are privileged to have a man of his caliber as part of the fiber of our village and I am humbled to be part of recognizing his accomplishments.
Immediately following the honorary street naming ceremony there will be a building dedication at Franklin Street School located at 335 South Franklin Street in honor of General McNeil on behalf of the Hempstead Union Free School District. The festivities will begin at 10:30 a.m. All are welcome but those interested in attending should RSVP by calling 516-478-6414.
Later that day, The Village will be hosting its Black History Month celebration from 6-8 p.m. at Kennedy Memorial Park (335 Greenwich Street). This year's theme is "African Americans In Time of War" and will be centered on that topic. The event will also feature poetry, mime presentation, music and dance. All village residents are invited. This will be among the last events of many that have been held in and around our village throughout February in recognition of Black History Month. I hope to see you there. For more information please visit: www.villageofhempstead.org or call: Juanita Hargwood at 516-478-6286.
The following day, February 28, Gen. McNeil will be the guest of honor during Hempstead High School’s presentation of “African Americans in Times of War”, a district wide program that’s also part of Black History Month. This student led event will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Hempstead High School auditorium, another special gathering that I am looking forward to attending.