Guest Column: Remembering James Meredith 60 years after he entered Ole Miss
James Meredith relaxes on a bench on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, Miss., Sept. 1, 1972. Meredith was the first Black student to intergrate the university. (AP Photo)
Aram Goudsouzian
Aram Goudsouzian is professor of history at the University of Memphis. His books include “Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear.”
While African Americans in Memphis lent refuge and support to Meredith — and the city’s authorities generally decried the violent resistance in Oxford — many shared the twisted resentments of their southern neighbors.
Related stories
Kebede: Civil Wrongs project shares stories of the past still relevant today
“The cases in our region that we plan to investigate as part of the Civil Wrongs project were often trivialized by journalists at the time. Reporters often took officials’ statements without question while disregarding Black voices that dared to complicate the story.”
Panel highlights Memphis’ impact on national civil rights movement
Community leaders and officials highlighted the legacy of Stax, the record label and museum, with a musical performance and panel in celebration of its addition to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.
Keepers of the flame: New exhibit focuses on schools, educators in the segregated South
Photographer Andrew Feiler traveled 25,000 miles to capture images, interviews and history connected to Rosenwald Schools, a program created in 1912 by Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.