The standoff was one of the most heated of the Civil Rights Movement. It was 1962, and Black student James Meredith sued to gain admission to the segregated University of Mississippi and won. White students rioted on campus against his admission, leaving two dead in the process. The state’s Governor Ross Barnett, a Democrat, was convicted of contempt of court for personally blocking Meredith’s registration.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, called Meredith a one of the “real heroes” of the South, a true “pioneer” for what he endured in the melee.
This story was originally produced by WLRN, South Florida’s only public radio station at 91.3 FM, as part of a content sharing partnership with MIA Media Group. Read more at WLRN.org
