Political Quotes

“I think this is a very appropriate time to recognize the Meredith March Against Fear. On June 5, 1966, 4 years after becoming the first African-American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, James Meredith began his historic Meredith March Against Fear. The march began at the Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis and would conclude some 3 weeks later at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. On June 6, Mr. Meredith and his small band of supporters encountered gunshots about 1 mile south of Hernando, MS. James Meredith was shot three times on that day and was taken to a hospital. Although he would recover, Meredith was unable to complete his March Against Fear, and the leadership was taken over by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd McKissick, and Stokely Carmichael. By the time the march reached the city limits of Canton, the number of marchers had doubled to 250. By the time it concluded in Jackson, there were 15,000 people in attendance. This overwhelming turnout made it the largest civil rights demonstration in the history of the State of Mississippi. More than 4,000 African Americans were registered to vote from rallies and drives during the march along U.S. Highway 51. Mr. Meredith still lives in Jackson, where he is frequently seen wearing his Ole Miss cap and attending Ole Miss athletic events in Oxford. He will turn 83 1 day before the 50th anniversary of the march's conclusion.…”