MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It seems a bit awkward to call the 60th anniversary of the integration of Ole Miss a celebration. After all, two people – one of them a journalist – were killed, and scores injured during rioting on the University of Mississippi campus on September 30th, 1962. Plus, the legacies of a governor, lieutenant governor and countless other officials were forever linked with vile racism, and the state itself was marred with shame.
But the anniversary of James Meredith becoming the first African American student at Ole Miss is very much a celebration - one that demonstrates how far the university has come in reckoning with its racist past.
And it’s not just this weekend. Ole Miss is devoting the entire school year to events spotlighting not just Meredith, but other Black students who followed in his footsteps, and thankfully were spared the harassment and threats that he endured.
I enrolled at Ole Miss in 1973, 11 years after Meredith made history. And while the atmosphere was not all rosy, the university did far more for me than it ever did to me.
One good thing is, Meredith is still with us. He turned 89 in June and will be honored throughout the weekend for his courage, despite unthinkable cruelty.
The other good thing is, Ole Miss is not whitewashing its past. It is confronting it, explaining it, and teaching valuable lessons about it. Which makes this a celebration.