GREENSBORO,  --  In the almost three years since its official dedication, North Carolina A&T’s  Irwin Belk Track and Field Facility inside Aggie Stadium has hosted some of the most premiere events in the country.

The trend will continue this spring. Another prestigious track and field event called the International Friendship And Freedom Games are coming to Irwin Belk Track on April 20-21. This event, however, will bring with it a significant purpose for the Greensboro Community, the N.C. A&T family and the numerous elite athletes competing.

The meet is designed to bring special recognition to the February 1, 1960 non-violent sit-in at a F.W. Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro by four North Carolina A&T freshmen named Jibreel Khazan (formerly known as Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond.

As blacks they were refused service despite sitting at the lunch counter until closing. The next day, the four men brought back 25 more protesters, sparking peaceful “Sit-In” movement all over the country. The men are known as the North Carolina A&T Four (Greensboro Four) today.

“We want to make it clear to athletes, the community and the nation that what the A&T Four did in 1960 is more than just a footnote in history,’’ said event executive director Brooks Johnson. “It was a catalyst for non-violent civil rights protest around the world. Athletics can’t take place in a vacuum. He has to have an impact on life. The more athletic events you have that have a real meaning and significance beyond just running, jumping and throwing, them more impact it has on everybody.”

The Old School Systems Management group brought a similar event to Texas Southern University, another historically black college or university. The organization wants to bring significant track and field meets to HBCU with first-class facilities and a rich heritage.

Elite athletes from all over the country will compete, including Olympians in one or two various events. The range of athletes will be anywhere from age 10 to college student-athletes. The event planners want the meet to be an annual prelude to the prestigious Penn Relays. The International Friendship and Freedom Games is one of many outstanding meets N.C. A&T has hosted.
Irwin Belk Track was dedicated on July 25, 2004.

Among the meets conducted at N.C. A&T since that time include the 2006 NCAA East Regional, the Nike Outdoor Meet and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships.
 

Here are just a few of the names that are coming:

Ron Bramlett 110H  Indoor national Champion

David Oliver 110H  #6 in the world, currently fastest time in the world

Shalonda Solomon 100 meter NCAA Champion/SEC

James Carter 400mH Olympic medalist/#2 fastest time in the world

Mickey Grimes  Pan Am Games Champ  100 meters men

LaShawn Merritt 200/400 former indoor world holder