Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks: When you think of the Civil Rights era, these are probably the names that come to mind. For me, the first name that comes to mind is James Meredith.
James Meredith was the first African-American to integrate an all-white university in the early 1960s.
After applying in 1961, Meredith was denied acceptance into the University of Mississippi, aka Ole Miss, despite meeting all the requirements. Brown v. Board of Education had recently been put into action after its 1954 ruling, so Meredith used this ruling as the premise in his lawsuit. Meredith would have the case ruled in his favor and would etch his place in American History.
Up until recently, I had no idea who James Meredith was. I was actually exposed to him via a Facebook post. I have no recollection of Meredith being mentioned in any history book or even being talked about much at all in any discussion in all my years of schooling. Ironically enough, Meredith actually has a statue commemorating his civil rights contributions on the University of Mississippi campus, despite not being heavily talked about.
So why does Meredith stand out to me?
Everyday for the past two and a half years, I have woken up and been able to call myself a university student at a very diverse university. These past few years, I have had the opportunity to meet people from all parts of the world and share experiences with people from countries that I had only been exposed to in a history book or on Google Earth.
Going to college and having these experiences has been by far the most liberating experience thus far, and I have James Meredith to thank for this. There was a time that every campus was segregated, and the only people I would've been exposed to would've been other minorities like myself.
Think of all the interracial friendships and marriages that were born on universities all over America. Think of the professors from countries all over the world. Think of the millions of people who have had their careers blossom after getting their degrees. James Meredith changed all these people's lives.
While Martin Luther King and the many other Civil Rights activists have affected the lives of millions of people in a far greater scale than Meredith, the reality is that Meredith's achievements have had an incredible impact on my life, and I'm sure many others can attest.
This is my way of saying thank you to Mr. Meredith. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow intellectually and emotionally in college. These have been some of the most incredible years of my life and have expanded my view on the world immensely. All that I accomplish in life during and after my university experience would not be possible without your efforts.
