Overview

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

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9780999322673

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Reviews

This is a remarkable commentary on the life and career of an exceptional man who has always marched to his own drumbeat. James Meredith remains an enigma to many, but all of us have been compelled to admire his courage and independence. This volume represents a fascinating insight not only into the identity of this intriguing human being but also into many of the historic events of the stormy times in which he lived. It is an important addition to our understanding of our conflicted past but just as importantly to the recognition of our common humanity. Blurb by William F. Winter, Miss Gov (1980-1984) As piercing and as lasting as the shotgun pellets which wounded him in 1966, this straight forward account of Mississippi's most heralded living freedom fighter is presented without excuse or pause by his niece, Meredith, who is herself a heroine in the war against injustice. Alice Thomas-Tisdale, Publisher, Jackson Advocate James Meredith: Warrior and the America That Created Him is a wonderful and much needed book on one of my personal history makers. Thank you for providing such an insightful portrait of your uncle, civil rights icon James H. Meredith. Your book will provide a positive documentation of the man and that crucial period of American History. Congratulations on a job well done, I strongly endorse and encourage everyone to read your book. Mrs. Dorothy T. Stewart, Founder, Women for Progress

Author Information

MEREDITH COLEMAN MCGEE, a poet, book publisher, book collector, lecturer, and a small business owner, is the author of 10 works which include: Every Inch Love Will, Midnight Moon, Odyssey, Nashida: Visits Mississippi's Old Capitol Museum, Nashida: Visits the Smith Robertson Museum, Nashida: Visits the Mississippi State Capitol, Married to Sin, Casada al Pecado, My Picture Dictionary, and My First Book Series.

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