October 1, 1962
On October 1, 1962, the Chicago Defender gossip column described how James Meredith, the first African-American man to be accepted to the University of Mississippi, had won a battle in the Civil Rights “war.” A satirical character, Ole Nosey, describes Meredith as “the No. 1 war hero of this decade,” and finishes the sentence by stating that “if that isn’t a war down in Mississippi, than what is?” Meredith being accepted into the University of Mississippi reflected the progress made by the civil rights movement in the previous years.
The Defender’s front page also featured Meredith, with a banner headline reading, “Mississippi Surrenders!: Meredith To Enroll Today; Tear Gas Routs Students.” (Click to view article PDF.)
