Little Known Black History Fact – Black America, Know Our History: The Ole Miss riot of 1962, A-K-A The Battle of Oxford, Erupted September 30, 1962 Segregationist Rioters Violently Protested the Enrollment of James Meredith, the First African American Student at the University of Mississippi

Deadly riots broke out on Sept. 30, 1962, when the first Black student tried to register for classes at the University of Mississippi. James Meredith was an Air Force veteran who worked in Japan before earning an honorable discharge. Meredith says the racial tolerance he witnessed overseas affected his sense of self and understanding. He registered for classes at the all-Black Jackson State College in 1960, but started his goal and struggle to attend the then-all-white University of Mississippi.

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