Civil rights activist James Meredith, famous for integrating the University of Mississippi, will appear Thursday at Turnrow Book Co. to make a plea for a commitment to public education.
Meredith, whose book, “A Mission From God,” was published earlier this fall, will speak at 6 p.m. A book signing and reception will follow.
In 1962 Meredith became the first black student at the historically white campus of Ole Miss, having been motivated by the inaugural address of President John F. Kennedy. Meredith has said his goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to improve enforcement of civil rights in the South.
On the day Meredith risked his life to attend Ole Miss, after 14 months of legal battles that ultimately ended in the Supreme Court, Kennedy called in 500 U.S. Marshals, the Mississippi National Guard and the U.S. Border Patrol to escort Meredith and ensure his safety. During his time at Ole Miss, he received death threats and was ostracized by other students.
In 1966, Meredith organized the March Against Fear, a procession that went from Memphis to Jackson encouraging blacks to register to vote, following the Voting Rights Act of 1965. About 4,000 black Mississippians registered thanks to his cause.
Meredith was born in Kosciusko. He currently lives in Jackson and does not frequently make public appearances. He is the author of 16 books on race, Mississippi and American history.
Turnrow owner Jamie Kornegay said this kind of appearance for Meredith is rare.
“He’s a very divisive figure in the state’s history. He’s not the kind of guy who’s trumpeting his accomplishments,” Kornegay said. “He’s looking towards the future; that’s what he’s going to talk about when he’s here.”
Part memoir, part call to action, “A Mission from God” looks back at Meredith’s storied life. He addresses what he believes to be the most critical issue today: how to educate and uplift the millions of black and white Americans who remain locked in the cycle of poverty by improving the public education system.
Kornegay said this theme could not be more relevant to Greenwood at a time when public education is such a contentious issue.
Between arguments over whether or not to transition public schools into charter schools and lively town hall meetings concerning a superintendent search, Kornegay said he is always reading about education in the paper.
“Meredith’s big cause right now is education and trying to promote awareness, trying to get everyone to support local public schools,” he said. “He’s somebody who gained quite a bit from public education because he put his life on it. I should hope that there are a lot of people interested in not just his message but what he has to say about the future of education.”
The situation in the schools is partly why Meredith was invited to speak about his new book, according to Kornegay.
“Greenwood needs to hear his message,” he said.
