The Big Dreamer: James Meredith’s Fight for Integration

Applying to the University of Mississippi on January 20, 1961, Meredith was immediately rejected after writing in his application that he was a Black man. Unwavering in his mission to be admitted, he reached out to Medgar Evers, field secretary for the NAACP.

Student Protest at Delta State College in March 1969

Today, legal and institutionally supported racial segregation within places of higher learning feels like a thing of the past. Yet, integration and increased representation of students of color, especially Black students, did not come easily in the Mississippi Delta even after racial segregation was outlawed.

The First Black Legislators in Mississippi

In 2022, more than fifty African Americans were serving in the Mississippi State Legislature, carrying on the legacy of the first Black men who served there in 1870. Mississippi’s first Black legislators were farmers and lawyers, barbers and blacksmiths, teachers and ministers. Some had always known freedom, while others were born into slavery. Some were highly educated elsewhere, and others had never been taught to read because the law in Mississippi forbade it. Many came to Mississippi to help build a more just government, and many were driven out by violence only a few years later.

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Mississippi History Now

Mississippi History Now brings engaging online essays and lesson plans about Mississippi history to students, teachers, and the general reader. Search our online essays and paired lesson plans about Mississippi history by keyword, theme, or time period.

Other Featured Articles

Jack Young Sr., pictured second from left, was one of three lawyers who took on civil rights cases in the 1950s and early 1960s. Photo by Richard H. Beadle.

The Role of Lawyers in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi

In the early twentieth century, Black people in Mississippi who aimed to exercise their rights as citizens of the United States had few allies. State and local government officials, acting under the authority of the 1890 state constitution, blocked efforts by black citizens to vote and operated separate schools for White and Black children.
In the early twentieth century, Black people in Mississippi who aimed to exercise their rights as citizens of the United States had few allies. State and local government officials, acting under the authority of the 1890 state constitution, blocked efforts by black citizens to vote and operated separate schools for White and Black children.
A map showing the apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives based on the 2020 Census

Census and Redistricting: Just the facts, Ma’am.

Every ten years, the population of the United States is counted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Every ten years, the population of the United States is counted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

What is Mississippi History Now

The Mississippi Historical Society launched this online publication in 2000 and revised it in 2021 to encourage interest in Mississippi history and provide educators with articles, primary resources, and lesson plans for teaching the state’s rich and complex history. To contact the site, please email info@mdah.ms.gov.