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"Nothing could be more insulting to me than the concept
of civil rights. It means perpetual second-class citizenship for me and my
kind." This quote is very powerful to me because Meredith was talking
about purposes. What's the purpose of civil rights? We shouldn't have to
fight for our rights in the first place, so what's the point? To me, I think
that he finds it insulting that he is automatically born inferior because of
the color of his skin, as I learned when researching his life.
Born June 25, 1933 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, James Meredith was one of the
fathers of integration in public schools. He was the seventh of thirteen
children. Because there we're no schools for blacks in the area, Meredith had
to walk to school everyday. None of his teachers had a college degree.
Meredith's parents moved him to Florida to live with his aunts and to get a
better education. He graduated from Gibbs High School and joined the air
force. Meredith married June Wiggins Meredith in 1956.
He attended Jackson State College, but he really wanted to go the University of Mississippi. He applied for admission, but was declined. He thought that he
was denied because of his race. Political leaders such as Thurgood Marshall
and Constance Baker Motley offered to help when they heard and he brought the
conflict to court.Even though he lost the case, he didn’t stop enrolling to
the University of Mississippi.
The lieutenant governor Paul Johnson personally denied his request for
admission because he said that he would rather go to jail than admit a black
person. This information was leaked to the press and eventually taken to
court. Meredith was found guilty of contempt of federal court. Because of
this, Meredith was admitted. He had to be escorted to school every day by
army soldiers and lieutenants by orders of President John F. Kennedy.
Meredith organized what is called the March Against Fear. This was organized
in order to promote black voting rights. He worked with Martin Luther King
and helped organize the March on Washington. He always opposed white civil
rights leaders who he thought were not really true to the cause. He once
said, “Liberal whites are the greatest enemy of African-Americans.” He is
still living and still promotes anti-racism and anti-segregation.
James Meredith is a hero to me because he knew what he wanted and worked to
get it even though people stood in his way. He showed perseverance. When he
wanted to go to school and receive and education, many people who were racist
stood in his way. He also fought for the rights of African-Americans by
organizing marches. People wanted him to stop, but he persevered. That’s why
he is a hero to me.
He left a legacy on the world because his actions impacted the lives of
future African-Americans. Because of Meredith, African-Americans are now
allowed a good education and don’t have to settle for second best.
Sources of Information
Smith, Jessie Carney. “James H. Meredith.” Notable Black American Men. 1999
Cummings, Robert. “James Meredith.” The Mississippi Writers Page. 07 May 2003
6 Feb 2007. http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/meredith_james/
"James Meredith." TeacherVision. 2007. Pearson Publishing Group. 8
Feb 2007. http://www.teachervision.fen.com/african-americans/biography-person/4592.html
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