meredith, james

Mississippi. 1966. On a hot June afternoon an African American man named James Meredith set out to walk through his home state of Mississippi, intending to fight racism and fear with his feet. He walked to make a statement. But two days into his journey, Meredith was shot and wounded in a roadside attack. Within twenty-four hours, Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and other civil rights leaders had taken up Meredith's cause, determined to overcome this violent act and complete Meredith's walk. What started as one man's mission became the March Against Fear.

"Mississippi. 1966. On a hot June afternoon an African-American man named James Meredith set out to walk through his home state, intending to fight racism and fear with his feet. A seemingly simple plan, but one teeming with risk. Just one day later Meredith was shot and wounded in a roadside ambush. Within twenty-four hours, Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and other civil rights leaders had taken up Meredith's cause, determined to overcome this violent act and complete Meredith's walk. The stakes were high--there was no time for advance planning and their route cut through dangerous territory. No one knew if they would succeed. By many measures the March Against Fear became one of the greatest protests of the civil rights era. But it was also one of the last, and the campaign has been largely forgotten. Critically acclaimed author Ann Bausum brings this crucial turning point of civil rights history back to life, escorting you along the dusty Mississippi roads where heroic marchers endured violence, rage, and fear as they walked more than 200 miles in the name of equality and justice."--Provided by publisher.

Chronicles the events behind a white uprising that occurred when Air Force veteran James Meredith tried to become the first African-American student to register at the University of Mississippi in 1962.

Draws on FBI and U.S. marshal files, army and university records, and personal papers to reveal the University of Mississippi's history of aggressive resistance to desegregation and argues that the riot that followed James Meredith's admittance to the university as its first African-American student was just another inevitable clash of the civil rights movement.

Chronicles the events behind a white uprising that occurred when Air Force veteran James Meredith tried to become the first African-American student to register at the University of Mississippi in 1962.

Text and photographs focus on the events surrounding James Meredith's efforts to be allowed to attend the University of Mississippi in 1962.