James Meredith

In the last century, on September 30, 1962, James Meredith became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi, until then a segregated establishment—a watershed event in the American Civil Rights movement. Less than one year later, Meredith graduated with a degree in political science and history. The day after his graduation from “Ole Miss,” Meredith moved his family out of the state of Mississippi because he was a target on the Ku Klux Klan’s hit list.

James Meredith is an icon who took on the U.S. federal government and forced it to take a stand on whether African Americans were entitled to receive higher education at the same schools as whites. James Meredith: Warrior and the America that created him provides an insightful, revealing examination of the state of the United States that engendered James Meredith and others of his generation who stood up for equality. The book examines Meredith’s early life; his actions that resulted in the integration of Ole Miss; his 1966 “March Against Fear,” during which he was shot by a shotgun-wielding sniper; and voting rights stories from the Civil Rights era.

This second edition contains over 50 images including rare family pictures. It explores Meredith's relationship with famed Civil Rights activist Medgar Wiley Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others. Meredith’s action prompted President John F. Kennedy to send in armed troops to restore order and break Mississippi’s Jim Crow laws. The last two chapters focus on closing America’s wealth gap in modern-day society.

Forward by Isao Fujimoto, PhD

Rural Development Leadership Network Institute

UC Davis