statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

James Meredith James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the racially segregated Univers ...

stands on the campus of the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, Mississippi, United States. The statue honors Meredith, a

civil rights activist Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

who integrated the university in 1962. It was dedicated in 2006 and is located near a

portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...

. The statue and portal collectively make up the Civil Rights Monument.

History

Background

was a

who enrolled at the

in 1962, becoming the first African American student at the university. However, his enrollment was opposed by proponents of

racial segregation Racial segregation is the separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

, with this opposition escalating into the

Ole Miss riot of 1962 The Ole Miss riot of 1962 (September 30 – October 1, 1962), also known as the Battle of Oxford, was a race riot that occurred at the University of Mississippi—commonly called Ole Miss—in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, as Racial ...

, which led to two deaths and numerous injuries. While state officials tried to prevent Meredith from attending the university, United States President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

ordered federal authorities to escort him onto the university's campus. Meredith was officially enrolled and the university integrated on October 1, 1962.

Dedication

This statue honoring Meredith was dedicated on the 44th anniversary of the integration of the university, on October 1, 2006. Approximately 1,500 people attended the ceremony, which featured a

keynote speech A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

from

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, who said, "With the unveiling of this monument, we free ourselves from the chains of a difficult past. Today we can celebrate a new day, a new beginning, the birth of a new

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and a new America that is more free, more fair and more just than ever before." Other speakers at the event included U.S. Representative

Roger Wicker Roger Frederick Wicker (born July 5, 1951) is an American politician, attorney, and United States Air Force, Air Force veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Mississi ...

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Robert Khayat, actor

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

, and James's son Joseph Meredith. James, while attending the event, was not a speaker. The cost of the total monument, which also includes a nearby

, cost $160,000, which was raised through

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

and donations. A 2018 article in '' The Daily Mississippian'' stated that Meredith was opposed to the statue from the time of its erection, arguing that both that statue and the Confederate Monument on the campus should be removed. However, after attending the 2018 Black Alumni Reunion, his position on the statue has changed.

Vandalism

In the early morning of February 16, 2014, the statue was vandalized, with a

noose A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot tightens under load and can be loosened without untying the knot. The knot can be used to secure a rope to a post, pole, or animal but only where the end is in a position that the loop can ...

placed around the statue's neck and an old state flag of Georgia (which features a Confederate battle flag) draped across the figure. The incident was first reported by a

construction worker A construction worker is a person employed in the physical construction of the built environment and its infrastructure. Definitions By some definitions, construction workers may be engaged in manual labour as unskilled or semi-skilled workers ...

who reported hearing two men shouting

racial slurs The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorati ...

. The following day, the alumni association offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who could provide information on the identity of the two men, while the

campus police Campus police or university police in the United States and Canada are Police officer, sworn police or peace officers employed by a college or university to protect the private or public property of the campus and surrounding areas and the peo ...

asked the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

for help with the investigation. By the following week, police had pressed charges against two 19-year-old students from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, with a third student considered "prominent in the investigation". Following the charges, the

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

that the three students belonged to,

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college Fraternities and sororities, fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College, which is now the University of ...

, was suspended by the university and an investigation into reports of other issues at the fraternity, including underage drinking and

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

, was launched by the university. In April, the University of Mississippi chapter of that fraternity was shut down. Two students were charged with one count of using a threat of force to intimidate African-American students and employees by putting a noose on the James Meredith statue. Graeme Phillip Harris pled guilty and was sentenced to 6 months in prison followed by a year of probation, and 100 hours of community service. Austin Reed Edenfield pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 months probation and ordered to complete 50 hours of uncompensated community service. The third student was not charged with a crime.

Design

The life-size

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

statue depicts Meredith walking towards a tall

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

portal, which has the words "courage", "knowledge", "opportunity", and "perseverance" inscribed around the top. Meredith is wearing a suit and has a light

mustache A moustache (; mustache, ) is a growth of facial hair grown above the upper lip and under the nose. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Itali ...

. A plaque located in front of the statue bears the following inscription: The statue is approximately from the Confederate Monument on the university's campus, between the Lyceum Building and the J. D. Williams Library.

References

External links

* {{University of Mississippi 2006 establishments in Mississippi 2006 sculptures Monuments and memorials in Mississippi Monuments and memorials of the civil rights movement Outdoor sculptures in Mississippi Buildings and structures at the University of Mississippi Vandalized works of art in Mississippi Bronze sculptures in Mississippi Sculptures of men in Mississippi Sculptures of African Americans