James Meredith (1933- ) was the first Black American to go to the University of Mississippi, better known as Ole Miss. President Kennedy had to call in the army to get him admitted.
On September 3rd 1962 the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court ruled that Ole Miss had to admit Meredith. Medgar Evers and Thurgood Marshall had chosen him as a test case.
On September 20th Meredith went to register for classes. The registrar was Ross Barnett – the governor himself. He refused to allow Meredith to register.
On September 29th at the Old Miss football game, Barnett said:
“I love Mississippi. I love her people, her customs! And I love and respect her heritage.”
The all-White crowd waved their Confederate flags while chanting:
“Never, Never, Never, Never, N-o-o-o Never.”
“Ross’s standing like Gibraltar. He shall never falter.”
“Never shall our emblem go, from Colonel Reb to Old Black Joe.”
“Ask us what we say, it’s to hell with Bobby K.”
On September 30th, at 4pm, 123 deputy US marshals, 316 border patrolmen, and 97 prison guards had moved into position at the Lyceum, the administration building, to make sure Meredith could register.
Hundreds of Whites gathered, chanting stuff like “2-4-6-8, we ain’t gonna integrate. We hate Kennedy!”
By 7pm violence broke out. Whites threw rocks and bottles, overturned cars, smashed windows.
The state police pulled out, leaving the US marshals to fight the rioters on their own. The marshals had no bullets. All they had was tear gas.
As the violence raged, the governor and then the president got on television.
Governor Barnett:
“Surrounded on all sides by the armed forces and oppressive power of the U.S.A., my courage and commitment do not waver … To the officials of the federal government I say, ‘Gentlemen, you are trampling on the sovereignty of this great state … You are destroying the Constitution of this great nation … May God have mercy on your souls …’”
President Kennedy (not knowing what Barnett just said):
“Americans are free … to disagree with the law, but not to disobey it. For in any government of laws and not of men, no man, however prominent and powerful, and no matter however unruly and boisterous, is entitled to defy a court of law… “
White rioters progressed to fire bombs and gunfire. They even went after reporters, smashing cameras. One reporter was shot in the back. The marshals were running out of tear gas.
Barnett would break his promises to Kennedy – and get on the radio and say stuff like:
“I call on Mississippi to keep the faith and courage. We will never surrender.”
President Kennedy at last called in the army (also without bullets). Whites blocked them and slowed them down. It took them six hours to arrive at Ole Miss.
By 4.30am the army had restored order.
By the numbers:
- 160 marshals were injured, 28 of them shot.
- 2 men killed.
- 200 arrested, fewer than 50 of them students
At 7.55am, amid the shattered glass and overturned cars that were still smoking, Meredith went to register.
– Abagond, 2018.
See also:
- Black History Month 2018
- Bobby K – the president’s brother, then the attorney general, in charge of enforcing civil rights laws
- The Baldwin-Kennedy meeting – the following spring
- Medgar Evers – shot dead the following spring
- Thurgood Marshall
- Confederate flag – “heritage not hate”
- Nina Simone: Mississippi Goddam
- other Black students
- American school resegregation
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Abagond 
Amazing my ancestors wanted to intermingle with these animals ……
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I always remind white people of stuff like this when they say stupid things like, *We would accept black people if they just got an education and got a job.”
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The took black peoepl’s work and tax dollars, yetwouldn’t give them service! Evil!
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