James Meredith is a civil rights figure known for being the first African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi. He was admitted in 1962, when the University was still segregated at the time. Meredith decided to apply following JFK's inaugural speech, hoping to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans students.
The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court, spurred on largely by the efforts of the NAACP, before Meredith was admitted.
He was initially denied admission based on the color of his skin. Meredith spent two semesters at the school, during which time he was often harassed and ostracized, yet nevertheless allowed to attend.
The Legacy of James Meredith
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James Meredith 1962
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James Meredith Today
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In 2002, ABC News, put together a new piece on the legacy of James Meredith with it being the 40th anniversary of his fight to enter the University of Mississippi. Below is the link to the clip that originally aired.
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