Funny how information floats around in the morass of data we are exposed to every day, and then, "Snap", breaks through the clutter and smacks us up the side of the head.
The first 2008 Presidential Debate will be held this Friday at the University of Mississippi. The University of Mississippi will host the first African American candidate for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!
For those of you who wonder why this might be a sterling moment for those of us of a certain age, I offer the name of James Meredith.
In the bloody history of the fight for Civil Rights in American, Ole Miss and James Meredith played a critical role. He wanted an education. But, he was Black.
James H. Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights movement figure. He was the first African-American student at the University of Mississippi, an event that was a flash point in the American civil rights movement.
Meredith was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi of Native American (Choctaw) and African American heritage. He enlisted in the United States Air Force right out of high school and served from 1951 to 1960. He then attended Jackson State College for two years. He applied to the University of Mississippi, but was denied twice.[1]
On October 1, 1962, he became the first black student at the University of Mississippi,[2] after being barred from entering on September 20. His enrollment, virulently opposed by segregationist Governor Ross Barnett, sparked riots on the Oxford campus, which required federal troops and U.S. Marshals, who were sent by President John F. Kennedy. The riots led to a violent clash which left two people dead, including French journalist Paul Guihard,[3] 48 soldiers injured and 30 U.S. Marshals with gun wounds. Barnett was fined $10,000 and sentenced to jail for contempt but he never paid the fine or served time. This was because the charges were dismissed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Bob Dylan sang about the incident in his song Oxford Town. Meredith's actions are regarded as a pivotal moment in the history of civil rights in the United States. He graduated on August 18, 1963 with a degree in Political Science.
I am enchanted by the notion that Ole Miss will have this moment of redemption, on Friday. And, following the delivery of his acceptance speech on the anniversary of "I Had a Dream", I am overwhelmed by the idea that almost 46 years, to the day, Barack Obama will "enter" Ole Miss as the single most significant African American in the public arena, and stake his claim to the Presidency.
You've come a long way, Baby...