The white-columned Lyceum, main administration building of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, throws the figure of James Meredith into sharp contrast as he revisit the school. Ten years ago on October 1st, 1962, he was the first black student to register, amid a wave of rioting. On the following August 18, he became the first black student to graduate, having never spent a day on campus unguarded. Ten years have made a lot of difference. There are 400 blacks among the university’s 7,000 students now.

James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is a trailblazer in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1962, he became the first black student admitted to the University of Mississippi, following an intense legal battle in the federal courts. In 1966, Meredith planned a solo 220-mile March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi to highlight continuing racism in the South and encourage voter registration after passage of the Voting Rights Act. The second day, he was shot by a white gunman and suffered numerous wounds. Leaders of major organizations vowed to complete the march in his name after he was taken to the hospital. During his recovery, more people from across the country became involved as marchers. Meredith rejoined the march. When he and other leaders entered Jackson on June 26, they were leading an estimated 15,000 marchers in what was the largest Civil Rights march in Mississippi.

Associated Press ID #72090111046

On verso: typewritten label with title, date and newspaper caption with date stamp affixed.

Ferrotyped prints have a sensitive surface, usually shiny and thinner, because they are put through a press while still wet. Ferrotyping makes the surface of the photograph smoother. Light does not scatter as much on a smoother surface, so this increases contrast. That makes ferrotyped images better for press photography.

This object has the following keywords:

• Broken barriers
• Civil Rights Movements
• Desegregation
• Education
• Injustice
• James Meredith
• James Meredith
• Lyceum
• Oxford
• Racial Discrimination
• Students

• Overall Dimensions: 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. (26.67 x 19.05 cm) Measured by Hudson, Karen