Ezell A. Blair, Jr.

Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr.; October 18, 1941) is a civil rights activist who is best known as a member of the Greensboro Four, a group of African American college students who, on February 1, 1960, sat down at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina challenging the store's policy of denying service to non-white customers. The protests and the subsequent events were major milestones in the Civil Rights Movement.

Early life and education

Khazan was born Ezell Alexander Blair Jr. on October 18, 1941, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Khazan received his early education from Dudley High School, where his father taught. His father was a member of the NAACP and very vocal on the subject of racial injustices and "things naturally rubbed off on me", described Khazan in a 1974 interview. It was said that when he experienced unjust treatment based on color, he "stood up." Khazan also recalls an American Civics teacher, Mrs. McCullough, who told her class “We’re preparing you for the day when you will have equal rights.”

The sit-in demonstrations were just the beginning of Khazan's community involvement. He joined Alpha Phi Alpha, was elected president of the junior class, and would later become president of the school's student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress for Racial Equality.

Later life

As he had been labeled a "troublemaker" for his role in the Greensboro Sit-Ins, life in Greensboro became difficult for Khazan. In 1965, he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher and counselor for the developmentally challenged. In 1968, he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Today Khazan is an oral historian and lecturer. Following the death of Joseph McNeil on September 4, 2025, Khazan is the last surviving member of the Greensboro Four.

Legacy In 1991, Khazan received an honorary doctorate of humanities degree from North Carolina A&T State University. In 2010, Khazan was the recipient of the James Smithson Bicentennial Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. On October 12, 2021, Khazan was honored with the renaming of a city park in the west end of New Bedford, MA.

Personal life Khazan is married to the former Lorraine France George of New Bedford. Together they have three children.