By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,
Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center’s Dr. Alferteen Harrison Auditorium was standing room only at 2PM, Thursday, June 4, 2026, for a deeply moving program marking the 60th Anniversary of James Meredith’s Walk Against Fear, which was titled “60 Years of Walking Forward.” Pamela Junior served as emcee, leading the program of luminaries – foot soldiers, scholars, authors, family members, and friends of the native son of Mississippi known the world over, Mr. James Howard Meredith.
When former Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett refused to allow James Meredith entrance to The University of Mississippi to study political science in 1962, it set off a constitutional crisis, remedied by President John F. Kennedy ordering Meredith’s admittance under the round the clock protection of federal marshals. He graduated on August 18, 1963, becoming the first African American graduate of what was even then considered Mississippi’s flagship institution of higher learning. Less than three years later, and less than one year after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law, Meredith set out on a march from the Peabody Hotel in Memphis to the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi. The goals were obvious: empower Black Mississippians to claim their political power through voting and to challenge white supremacist intimidation by personal example – demonstrating fearlessness.
The march began as a solitary march from June 5 to 26th, 1966. On the second day Meredith was shot and severely wounded by Aubrey James Norvell, triggering major Civil Rights leaders like Stokley Carmichael, Floyd McKissiick, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., along with members of the NAACP, CORE, SNCC, and SCLC to continue the march in Meredith’s name. Having recovered sufficiently, Meredith rejoined the march just before it arrived at the Mississippi Capitol. What began as a solitary march had grown to over 15,000 by its conclusion.
And oh, how the story was told at this 60th anniversary. In providing welcome, City of Jackson Chief Administrative Officer Pieter Teeuwissen, reminded the audience that his mentor, Justice Reuben V. Anderson – the first African American graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law and first African American Mississippi Supreme Court Justice – summarized the life and legacy of James Meredith once by stating, “James Meredith is the bravest man I have ever known in my lifetime, period.”
Former State Representative James Evans provided the invocation. Dr. Tony Bounds, archivist at Tougaloo College, delivered an inspiring occasion. Ms. Chandra Wise and The Grassroots Gospel Singers sang a staggering version of Lift Every Voice and Sing. The In Memoriam was delivered by Mrs. Doris Griffith Bridgeman. A biographical sketch of. Meredith’s life was provided by his niece, and author of two books about his life, including “James Meredith: The America That Created Him” – Meredith Coleman McGee. Dr. Flonzie Brown Wright, the first African American woman elected to public office in Mississippi – and author of “Looking Back to Move Ahead” – provided the overview of the March Against Fear from personal experience, which included being called by Dr. King, who requested she make housing and food accommodations for 2,000 people in Canton, Mississippi, during the march. She did that, and much more.
Dr. Aram Goudsouzian, history professor at the University of Memphis, and author of “Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear,” spoke about the significance of the march, its impact on national politics, the power of the photograph of the shot Meredith on the cover of every newspaper, the influence of Stokley Carmichael and the Black Power mantra, and the moderating voice of Dr. King – who he indicated had coined the phrase, “you can always tell where the Negro community begins because that’s where the pavement ends.”
Wise and the Grassroots Gospel Singers provided a Freedom Medley, including eliciting audience participation with This Little Light of Mine and Ain’t Nobody Gonna Turn Me Around. Dr. Roslind McCoy Sibley, daughter of the legendary Drs A.H. and Rose McCoy, shared the details of the precise route that the march took, including the sweep through the Mississippi Delta, which many accounts omit. She shared x-rays of Meredith’s gunshot wounds, including head, neck, back, and leg. She reminded the audience of the three L’s pertaining to the march. It was the largest, longest, and last of the Civil Right Era.
Foot Soldier, historian, and Vice Chairman of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Frank Figgers, moderated a panel discussion and question and answer with Mr. Charles Taylor, Sr. – who focused on Tougaloo’s importance in the Meredith March, and State Senator Hillman Terome Frazier – who spoke on the topic of ‘Organizing and Strategizing: Then and Now.’ Frazier reminded the audience that in 1968 there was just one African American in the Mississippi legislature – Robert G. Clark, Jr. – and today there are 58. He spoke about the Callais decision on April 29th as a clear and present danger. He stressed education, organizing, mobilization, voting, and fearlessness.
A historical document, gifted to her by her mother and professionally preserved, was presented to Tougaloo College by Former 1st Daughter of Tougaloo, the daughter of the first African American President of Tougaloo, Dr. George Albert Owens – Mrs. Gail Owens Baity. Renowned archivist and historian, Ms. Angela Stewart, provided the recognition of sponsors for the event, and truly heartfelt closing remarks. A beautiful reception followed.
The entire 60th Anniversary of The March Against Fear was recorded by Black owned multimedia company, WeBelieveDigital, 2659 Livingston Road, Jackson, Mississippi, and can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/@webelievedigitalPodcast.
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