North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is now accepting nominations for the prestigious 2025 Human Rights Medal. Submissions are due by Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. This esteemed award honors individuals who have made significant long-term contributions to the advancement of civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights.

The Human Rights Medal is named in recognition of the heroic actions of the A&T Four—Ezell Blair Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), Franklin Eugene McCain, Joseph Alfred McNeil, and David Richmond Jr.—who sparked a transformative movement in American history. On Feb. 1, 1960, these courageous freshmen initiated a sit-in at a segregated lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, igniting protests and inspiring activists across the nation.

N.C. A&T emphasizes that nominees can come from beyond the university community, provided they are U.S. citizens. The candidates will be evaluated based on their impactful actions, the needs they address, and the breadth of their contributions to their communities, whether at the local, state, national, or international level.

Notable past recipients of the medal include N.C. Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, the late civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, and activists Rev. Nelson and Joyce Johnson, along with Congresswoman Alma Adams ’68 ’72.

The selected honoree will be notified in December and invited to receive the award during the annual Sit-In Breakfast program. The recipient must be available to accept the award in person on campus or virtually if preferred on Jan. 31, 2025 .

For those interested in submitting a nomination, access the nomination packet here.