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James H. Meredith made history in 1962 when he became the first Black American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, challenging one of the most fiercely defended systems of segregation in American higher education. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in 1933, Meredith served in the United States Air Force before attending Jackson State College, now Jackson State University. He later applied to the University of Mississippi, commonly known as Ole Miss, fully aware that his attempt to enter the all-white institution would become a direct challenge to Mississippi's system of segregation. Meredith's admission became the subject of a lengthy legal battle. After federal courts ordered the university to admit him, Mississippi officials continued trying to prevent his enrollment. Governor Ross Barnett personally blocked Meredith's attempts to register, openly defying federal authority and turning the case into a confrontation between Mississippi and the federal government. President John F. Kennedy's administration eventually sent hundreds of U.S. marshals to protect Meredith and enforce the court order. On the night of September 30, 1962, a violent segregationist riot erupted on the Ole Miss campus. Two people were killed, hundreds were injured, and federal troops were eventually deployed to restore order. The following morning, October 1, Meredith registered for classes under federal protection. His presence on campus remained controversial, and he endured constant harassment and isolation while completing his studies. Meredith refused to leave. In August 1963, he graduated with a degree in political science, demonstrating that the enormous resistance to his enrollment had never been about his ability to succeed academically. His victory also established an important precedent for enforcing the constitutional rights of Black students when state governments refused to comply with federal desegregation orders. Meredith returned to national attention in June 1966 when he began what he called the March Against Fear, planning to walk from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. His goal was to challenge the fear created by generations of white supremacist violence and encourage Black Mississippians to register to vote. On the second day of the march, a white gunman named James Aubrey Norvell shot Meredith with a shotgun, seriously wounding him. Photographs of Meredith lying injured on the roadside quickly spread across the country. Rather than allowing the shooting to end the demonstration, major civil rights organizations continued the march. Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Floyd McKissick and other activists joined thousands of marchers as they traveled through Mississippi. During the campaign, Carmichael publicly issued the call for "Black Power," helping popularize a phrase that would become central to the next phase of the Black freedom struggle. Meredith recovered from his injuries and returned before the march ended, joining the final stretch into Jackson on June 26. Thank you for reading, sharing and helping these stories reach more people. If you'd like to support the work behind this page, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/africanarch… or tap the link in our bio. 🙏🏿