USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -In 1962 James Meredith became the first African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi. During the 2002–2003 academic year, the university commemorated the 40th anniversary of Mr. Meredith’s integration of the school with year long celebration, Open Doors.

Detailed explanation-2: -James Meredith, (born June 25, 1933, Kosciusko, Mississippi, U.S.), American civil rights activist who gained national renown at a key juncture in the civil rights movement in 1962, when he became the first African American student at the University of Mississippi.

Detailed explanation-3: -On Sept. 30, 1962, when a deal was reached between Barnett and U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy to allow Meredith to enroll, a riot broke out on campus. A mob of angry whites confronted U.S. marshals stationed on campus to protect Meredith.

Detailed explanation-4: -In Martin Luther King’s famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail, ” he called James Meredith, the first African American to integrate the University of Mississippi in 1962, a hero of the civil rights movement.