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James Howard Meredith was born on June 25, 1933 in Mississippi. He served in the United States Air Force from 1951-1960. In 1961 he was twice denied admission to Whites-only University of Mississippi. Meredith filed suit, based on racial discrimination, with the backing of the NAACP. After several hearings and rulings, the case went to the Supreme Court which upheld earlier rulings in Meredith's favor. After several obstruction attempts by the governor and student riots, Meredith was admitted. On October 2, 1962, accompanied by U.S. Marshals, he became the first African American student to attend the university. He graduated in 1963 with a degree in political science. First photograph caption dated April 13, 1963 reads "Hopes for future." The article partially reads "Meredith, the first Negro enrolled at the University of Mississippi, is in Los Angeles to accept the Booker T. Washington Award presented by the Los Angeles alumni chapter of Alabama's Tuskegee Institute." Meredith is at a press conference at Los Angeles International Airport. Second photograph caption dated August 19, 1963 reads "The first Negro." See images 00082782 and 00155022 through 00155032 for all photos in this series.
Meredith, James,--1933- Tuskegee Institute--Awards Los Angeles International Airport African Americans--Civil rights--United States Civil rights workers--United States Civil rights movements--United States Award winners Men Press conferences Microphones Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) Portrait photographs
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