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Obama should attend sit-in anniversary events

President Obama mentioned the Greensboro lunch-counter sit-ins, among other civil-rights milestones, in his July 17 speech to the NAACP Centennial Convention.

Skip Alston took that as a good sign.

Obama has been invited to Greensboro for 50th anniversary events commemorating the Feb. 1, 1960, Woolworth lunch-counter sit-ins, including the ribbon-cutting for the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.

Alston, co-founder and chairman of the center's board of directors, is hopeful Obama will attend at least one of three events:

The banquet on Jan. 30, the religious service on Jan. 31, or the ribbon-cutting.

The White House has responded favorably, Alston said, but does not fix the president's schedule more than 90 days ahead of time.

Meanwhile, organizers are recruiting "people of influence" to contact the White House with encouragements. Those include Sen. Kay Hagan from Greensboro.

A sweetener: If Obama comes, he'll receive the Alston/Jones International Civil and Human Rights Award.

High Point University President Nido Qubein will chair the banquet committee, which means he'll lead fundraising for the event. He'll also emcee, he told me. He'll do a great job on both counts, but even irrepressible Qubein will be overshadowed if the president attends.

Obama should agree. Feb. 1, 1960, marked an important moment in our nation's progress. Although it occurred before the president was born, he should take part in the anniversary celebrations.

As Alston said today, Obama's July 17 speech shows the Greensboro sit-ins are already on his radar. He has a chance to draw national and even international attention to how Greensboro honors its place in civil rights history.