The Greensboro Four

The starring four are finally complete (until I mess with them again). 

Now that they're done, the piece is starting to gain momentum. I've made it a point to paint everyday - which for me is a lot considering the fact that I don't like to paint that much. The only reason I do is because it's the only way I can see and share what's in my head with others. Make sense?


Larger detailed images and bios of Jibreel Khazan and Franklin McCain are posted beneath their pics after the break.

2 down, 38 to go

Today's near completion is David Richmond - number two of the Greensboro Four. You can read his bio after the break.

David Richmond was one of the original four who started the Woolworth Sit-ins. He was born in  Greensboro and graduated from Dudley High School, where he was one of the most popular students. During high school, he belonged to many clubs and participated in many sports. He was on the track team and in 1959 he set the state high jump record. At North Carolina A & T State University he majored in Business Administration and Accounting. After leaving A & T he became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. Forced to leave Greensboro because his life was threatened, he lived in the mountain community of Franklin for nine years. 

When his elderly parents became ill he returned to Greensboro to take care of them. David is the only one of the four that returned to live in Greensboro and he had a hard time finding a job as he had to fight the stigma of being a troublemaker. Finally, he was able to find work as a janitor for the Greensboro Health Care Center. In 1980, the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Levi Coffin Award for "leadership in human rights, human relations, and human resources development in Greensboro."

David was married and divorced twice, fathering three children. David battled many demons as he grew older, including alcoholism, and a sadness that he could not do more to improve the world he lived in. Richmond died in Greensboro on Dec. 7, 1990. He was 49 years old. A & T awarded him a posthumous honorary doctorate degree.