At what city did an African-American first gain admittance to a Mississippi College?
James Meredith James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is a Civil Rights Movement figure, writer, political adviser and Air Force veteran. In 1962, he became the first African-American student admitted to the segregated University of Mississippi, after the intervention of the federal government, an event that was a flashpoint in the Civil Rights Movement. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, Meredith decided to exercise his constitutional rights and apply to the University of Mississippi. His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans.
Adam M. Byrd Born in Sumter County, Alabama, Byrd moved to Neshoba County, Mississippi. He attended the common schools and Cooper Institute in Daleville, Mississippi. He graduated from the Cumberland School of Law at Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1884. He was admitted to the bar in 1885 and commenced practice in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He served as superintendent of education for Neshoba County from 1887–1889. He served as a member of the State senate from 1889–1896. He served in the State house of representatives in 1896 and 1897, when he resigned. He served as prosecuting attorney for the tenth judicial district in 1897. He served as judge of the sixth chancery district from 1897 until his resignation in 1903.