{"id":112918,"date":"2022-10-03T11:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T16:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=112918"},"modified":"2022-10-03T13:00:34","modified_gmt":"2022-10-03T18:00:34","slug":"um-honors-james-meredith-with-mississippi-humanitarian-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/um-honors-james-meredith-with-mississippi-humanitarian-award\/","title":{"rendered":"UM Honors James Meredith with Mississippi Humanitarian Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Chancellor Glenn Boyce (left) and Shawnboda Mead (right), UM vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, present James Meredith with the Mississippi Humanitarian Award on Wednesday (Sept. 28) at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. The honor is one of the university’s most distinguished awards. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 James Meredith<\/span> became the fifth <\/span>individual<\/span> in <\/span>the<\/span> University of Mississippi<\/a>‘s history to <\/span>receive <\/span>one of <\/span>the<\/span> university<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s most prestigious honor<\/span>s<\/span>, the<\/span> Mississippi Humanitarian Award<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Announced Wednesday (Sept. 28) during “The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy,”<\/a> the signature event of the university\u2019s c<\/span>ommemoration<\/span> of the 60<\/span>th <\/span>anniversary<\/span> of integration, the Mississippi Humanitarian Award<\/span> is a<\/span>n<\/span> honor <\/span>rarely bestowed <\/span>to those who have<\/span> shown commitment to bettering society and <\/span>creat<\/span>ion of <\/span>lasting change in the state<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Mississippi Humanitarian Award has <\/span>been given to <\/span>only <\/span>four other <\/span>changemakers <\/span>since it was established. The first award was given in 2001 to philanthropist and education champion Jim Barksdale and his late wife<\/span>,<\/span> Sally <\/span>McDonnell <\/span>Barksdale. In 2003, <\/span>the late former governor of Mississippi<\/span>,<\/span> William Winter and his late wife<\/span>,<\/span> Elise Winter<\/span>, received the award<\/span>. In 2013, the university honored <\/span>Myrlie<\/span> Evers-Williams, wife of <\/span>slain <\/span>civil rights icon Medgar Evers. The most recent <\/span>recipient was<\/span> the <\/span>late U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in 2018.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the addition of Mr. Meredith, you can see this award recognizes and celebrates remarkable individuals whose <\/span>extraordinary leadership and <\/span>advocacy <\/span>have <\/span>withstood the test of time,\u201d UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce said <\/span>during the signature event<\/span>. \u201cHis example propels this university<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s o<\/span>n<\/span>going commitment for every person to thrive<\/span> …<\/span> to be <\/span>w<\/span>here dreams and aspirations are built and made.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Boyce <\/span>said Meredith earned the award <\/span>both<\/span> for his work <\/span>at<\/span> the university<\/span> and<\/span> his <\/span>longtime advocacy <\/span>efforts across the state.<\/span> Meredith empowered the advancement of society, compelled others to acknowledge the equality of <\/span>all individuals <\/span>and inspired others to stand up to inequality<\/span>, Boyce said. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The award was not simply a recognition of what Meredith did in the past, <\/span>he <\/span>said, but a mark of appreciation for the lasting impact he continues to <\/span>make. <\/span> <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

James Meredith (left) is presented one of several awards and recognitions Wednesday (Sept. 28) during ‘The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy,’ the signature event commemorating the 60th anniversary of his enrollment at the University of Mississippi. Photo by Thomas Graning\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe recognize him as a brave and bold humanitarian,\u201d Boyce said. \u201cHe is a living reminder that we all must be willing to demonstrate selflessness, courage and dedication through our words and<\/span>, perhaps even more so, through our<\/span> actions to forge a just society that holds steadfast to improving the lives of <\/span>all<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

On Oct. 1, 1962, Meredith became the first African American to enroll at <\/span>UM<\/span>, an action <\/span>that sparked <\/span>a <\/span>riot <\/span>on<\/span> campus resulting in two dead and more than 300 injured. Integrating the university<\/span> was a <\/span>marker <\/span>t<\/span>hat<\/span> bolster<\/span>ed<\/span> integration efforts across the state<\/span>, <\/span>said Donald Cole, retired UM assistant provost and assistant to the chancellor for multicultural affairs<\/span>. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSixty years ago, our university was in turmoil,\u201d <\/span>Cole <\/span>said<\/span> Wednesday night.<\/span> \u201cW<\/span>e were a <\/span>c<\/span>losed society. One that perpetuated among <\/span>itself views<\/span> that were flawed. Philosophies that were long outdated and myths that had no truth to it. <\/span>We needed help.\u201d<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Meredith\u2019s enrollment on campus was the starting point of opening that closed society, Cole said. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Following the events of late September and early October 1962, Meredith spent two semesters at<\/span> UM<\/span> before graduating in August 1963 with a degree i<\/span>n political science. Following graduation, Meredith continued <\/span>to study<\/span> political science at University of Ibadan in Nigeria before earning a law degree<\/span> at Columbia University. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1966, Meredith began the \u201cMarch Against Fear,\u201d a walk from Memphis, Tennessee<\/span>,<\/span> to Jackson, Mississippi. <\/span>The march, intended to highlight racial inequality in Mississippi, came to a quick and violent halt <\/span>when Meredith was shot and injured<\/span> on the second day<\/span>.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Leaders of major <\/span>c<\/span>ivil <\/span>r<\/span>ights orga<\/span>nizations <\/span>took up the cause and vowed to complete the march in Meredith\u2019s stead. When Meredith was released from the hospital, he rejoined the march<\/span>, which <\/span>gained thousands of participants after the news of Meredith\u2019s <\/span>attack<\/span>. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

B<\/span>y the time they reached Jackson<\/span> in June 1966<\/span>, what began as a solo march e<\/span>ntered the <\/span>state\u2019s capital with more than 15<\/span>,000<\/span> people<\/span> in its train. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

In the <\/span>ensuing <\/span>year<\/span>s<\/span>, Meredith would serve on <\/span>the <\/span>staffs of U.S. senators, <\/span>work in several different states in political offices and self-publish several books on politics and society.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

James Meredith shows off the numerous awards and recognitions presented to him Wednesday (Sept. 28) during ‘The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy,’ the signature event commemorating the 60th anniversary of his enrollment at the University of Mississippi. Photo by Thomas Graning\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2006, t<\/span>he university <\/span>dedicated a statue in his honor, which now stands behind the Lyceum<\/span>. I<\/span>n 2012<\/span>, Meredith<\/span> accepted the Harvard Graduate School of Education<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> Medal for Education Impact.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The city of Oxford announced last week that the board of aldermen had voted to recognize Oct. 1 as James Meredith Day. During the signature event, the university bestowed Meredith with more than a half-dozen gifts, scholarships and honors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Mississippi Humanitarian Award includes a monetary prize for the recipient to continue their work in a manner that they choose.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the evening, Meredith shared remarks<\/span> with the crowd where he expressed his gratitude <\/span>to<\/span> the university for the occasion. <\/span> <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

“I can assure you, in my opinion, this is the best day I ever lived,” Meredith said.<\/p>\n

When <\/span>Chancellor Boyce and <\/span>Shawnboda<\/span> Mead, UM vice chancellor <\/span>for Diversity and Community Engagement, presented him with the <\/span>Mississippi Humanitarian A<\/span>ward, he smiled <\/span>and <\/span>reached out to touch the <\/span>surface of <\/span>the large <\/span>glass <\/span>chalice. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>While his bold and courageous actions and contributions took place at an institution of higher <\/span>learning<\/span>, <\/span>please <\/span>make no mistake that Mr. Meredith\u2019s impact extends beyond this university and stretches across <\/span>this<\/span> country<\/span>,\u201d Boyce said. \u201cHe single-handedly opened the door to countless educational opportunities for all who followed in his footsteps.<\/span> He literally changed the trajectory of tens of thousands of lives.\u201d <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 James Meredith became the fifth individual in the University of Mississippi‘s history to receive one of the university\u2019s most prestigious honors, the Mississippi Humanitarian Award.  Announced Wednesday (Sept. 28) during “The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy,” the signature event of the university\u2019s commemoration of the 60th anniversary of integration, the MississippiRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":112929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1427,495,221,199],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nUM Honors James Meredith with Mississippi Humanitarian Award - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/um-honors-james-meredith-with-mississippi-humanitarian-award\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UM Honors James Meredith with Mississippi Humanitarian Award - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 James Meredith became the fifth individual in the University of Mississippi‘s history to receive one of the university\u2019s most prestigious honors, the Mississippi Humanitarian Award.  Announced Wednesday (Sept. 28) during “The Mission Continues: Building Upon the Legacy,” the signature event of the university\u2019s commemoration of the 60th anniversary of integration, the MississippiRead the story …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/um-honors-james-meredith-with-mississippi-humanitarian-award\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-10-03T16:00:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-10-03T18:00:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/UCIMG-2384-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1250\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OleMissRebels\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Ole Miss News\",\"description\":\"The official source for University of Mississippi news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/um-honors-james-meredith-with-mississippi-humanitarian-award\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/UCIMG-2384-1.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1250,\"caption\":\"Chancellor Glenn Boyce (left) and Shawnboda Mead (right), UM vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, present James Meredith with the Mississippi Humanitarian Award on Wednesday (Sept. 28) at the Gertrude C. 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