Civil rights ‘legend’ to speak of ethnic triumphs
by Shannon Harrison, managing editor

    A legend in U.S. civil rights will visit all TCC Campus next week to talk to students about his life.

    James Meredith, whose attempt to register at the University of Mississippi in 1960 became a pivotal event in the nation’s Civil Rights Movement, will speak at each of the TCC Campuses Tuesday, Feb. 6, through Thursday, Feb. 8.

    He will speak at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, in the Rotunda, 132-133, on South Campus and at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, in B-118 on NW Campus. In addition, he will appear at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the Student Center’s Center Corner on NE Campus and at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in SEB 202 on SE Campus.

    Meredith’s enrollment at Ole Miss, protected by federal troops, made him the first black to attend and graduate from a non-black school in the South.

    He continued his fight in the civil rights arena in 1966, leading a march from Memphis, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss., to encourage blacks to register to vote. During the march, Meredith was shot by a sniper but recovered and continued on.

    While on South Campus, Meredith will visit the exhibit Kennedy: The Man, The President, the ’60s. He will see for the first time the original draft of Pres. Kennedy’s speech to the nation regarding Meredith’s enrollment at the university.

    Also, photographs showing Meredith’s arrival on the university’s campus surrounded by federal guards are on display.

    Meredith is the author of several books, including the best-selling Three Years in Mississippi; My Life Story; The First 50 Years of Being Black; and Black English vs. Proper English. He is the founder of the James Meredith Institute in Jackson, where today he promotes literacy among black males.

    Meredith’s lectures at TCC will focus on his experiences at Ole Miss, his civil rights advocacy and his present-day projects.