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Narrator: SEGREGATED MID-CENTURY AMERICA.
MISSISSIPPI ITS EPICENTER.
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
Barnett: FRIENDS, I'M A MISSISSIPPI SEGREGATIONIST
AND I AM PROUD OF IT.
Narrator: A LAND STEEPED IN RACIST VIOLENCE.
FROM THIS CONTEXT EMERGES ONE MAN
WHO WOULD RISK HIS LIFE TO FIGHT FOR HIS BELIEFS.
James Meredith: I HAD ENGAGED IN A WAR
AGAINST THE SYSTEM OF WHITE SUPREMACY.
Williams: THERE WAS NO GUARANTEEIN SEPTEMBER OF '62
THAT MEREDITH WAS GONNA COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE.
Narrator: TO ACHIEVE HIS ENDS,
HE WILL TRIGGER THE LARGEST DOMESTIC MOBILIZATION
OF U.S. TROOPS SINCE THE CIVIL WAR.
Reporter: THE SITUATION IS BAD.
THE MARSHALS ARE STILL FIRING TEARGAS SHELLS
AND EXPLODING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Schieffer: I STARTED HEARINGTHUDS AGAINST
THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK
AND IT TURNED OUT THAT THEY WERE
THROWING ROCKS, MOLOTOV COCKTAILS.
Narrator: A LARGELY FORGOTTEN HERO
WHO SINGLE HANDEDLY INSTIGATES
SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES
OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
YET HE IS A COMPLEX MAN.
James Meredith: IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN MY BELIEF THAT MY JOB
WAS TO RESTRUCTURE THE WORLD,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIKE NOTHING, INCLUDING MOST OF THE TIME,
I DIDN'T LIKE JAMES MEREDITH.
Judy Meredith: WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS
"WHAT A BRAVE MAN, OR EITHER HE'S CRAZY AS HECK".
Narrator: A CIVIL RIGHTS ICON WHO REJECTS THE TERM.
James Meredith: CIVIL RIGHTS IS AN INSULT TO CITIZENSHIP.
EVERY CITIZEN IN THE UNITED STATES
IS ENTITLED TO EVERY ONE OF THOSE RIGHTS.
Narrator: THROUGHOUT IT ALL,
HE MARCHES TO THE BEAT OF HIS OWN DRUM.
SOMETIMES CONTROVERSIAL.
Wright: HE'S A LONER, HE DOESN'TCARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT HIM.
James Meredith: I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT MY JOB WAS
TO LEAD THE PEOPLE TO EQUALITY.
Narrator: THIS IS THE STORY OF JAMES MEREDITH,
AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL.
Williams: THE WORD THAT
IMMEDIATELY COMES TO MIND IS REBEL.
Judy Meredith: IT TOOK ME ABOUT 20 YEARS TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT THE HECK JAMES WAS TALKING ABOUT MOST TIMES.
Doyle: HE MAKES YOU THINK,
HE MAKES YOU SCRAMBLE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS
WHEN IT COMES TO AMERICAN HISTORY
AND WHEN IT COMES TO RACE.
Narrator: HE WAS BORN IN KOSCIUSKO, MISSISSIPPI.
THE FAMILY FARM IS PIVOTAL IN SHAPING HIS OUTLOOK.
James Meredith: MY FATHER WAS GOING TO SELL THE FARM
AND HE WANTED TO GIVE ME FIRST CHANCE TO BUY IT.
THERE WAS REALLY NOTHING TO CONSIDER.
UNLIKE WHICH IS GENERALLY THOUGHT,
I WAS BORN IN PRIVILEGE.
MY FAMILY OWNED LOTS OF LAND.
I WAS BORN IN 1933 IN THE HEART OF THE AMERICAN DEPRESSION.
BUT WE DIDN'T LIVE LIKE POOR PEOPLE.
Hazel Meredith: BECAUSE OF THE WAY WE GREW UP,
WE DIDN'T GROW UP THINKING WE WERE INFERIOR
TO ANYBODY OR ANYTHING.
Narrator: ACROSS THE SOUTH,
WHITE SUPREMACY KEPT MOST BLACKS DISENFRANCHISED.
NOWHERE IS SEGREGATION MORE BRUTALLY
ENFORCED THAN IN MISSISSIPPI.
James Meredith: YOU SEE, THE OTHER THING THAT WAS SIGNIFICANT
ABOUT MY GROWING UP WAS THE ISOLATION.
I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME JUST ROAMING
MY FATHER'S 84-ACRE FARM, TOTALLY BY MYSELF.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, I WAS 15 YEARS OLD
BEFORE I KNEW THAT BLACK WAS SUPPOSED
TO BE AT THE BOTTOM END OF THE DEAL.
WE VISITED OUR RELATIVES IN DETROIT.
AND WE CAME BACK ON THE TRAIN.
AND WHEN WE GOT TO MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE,
THE CONDUCTOR TOLD ME AND MY BROTHER
WE HAD TO MOVE TO THE BLACK CAR.
AND I HAD TO STAND ALL THE WAY
FROM MEMPHIS TO DURANT, MISSISSIPPI
AND I CRIED ALL THE WAY.
AND I PROMISED GOD THAT I WAS GONNA SPEND
THE REST OF MY LIFE TRYING TO CHANGE THAT.
Doyle: HE HAD BEEN RAISED BY A FATHER
WHO WAS LIKE A BIBLICAL CHARACTER
OF STRENGTH AND BRILLIANCE
AND THAT FATHER SAID TO JAMES MEREDITH,
"YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE, YOU ARE GONNA CHANGE HISTORY".
Narrator: IN 1950, MEREDITH ENLISTS
IN THE NEWLY INTEGRATED AIR FORCE.
AS JAMES SERVES, THE FIGHT FOR BLACK EQUALITY
IS HEATING UP AND EDUCATION IS THE PRIMARY BATTLEGROUND.
IN 1957, NINE BLACK STUDENTS ATTEMPTED TO ENROLL
IN THE CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL IN LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.
PRESIDENT EISENHOWER, UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE NAACP,
MOBILIZES FEDERAL TROOPS TO ENFORCE
THEIR RIGHT TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL.
JAMES NOW STATIONED IN JAPAN,
FOLLOWS THE STORY CLOSELY AND WITH INTEREST.
Doyle: HE SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN LITTLE ROCK IN 1957
AND THAT WAS AMERICAN COMBAT TROOPS
DELIVERING JUSTICE FOR AMERICAN SCHOOL CHILDREN.
Narrator: WHEN MEREDITH LEAVES
THE RAPIDLY INTEGRATING WORLD OF THE MILITARY,
HE RETURNES TO A MISSISSIPPI STILL MIRED IN INEQUALITY.
HE MAKES A DECISION THAT WOULD CHANGE HISTORY.
James Meredith: I CAME BACK WITH THE PLAN TO FORCE
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTO A POSITION
WHERE THEY HAD TO USE THE MILITARY MIGHT
TO SUPPORT MY RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP.
Narrator: NO BLACK STUDENT HAD ATTENDED
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI IN ITS 113 YEAR HISTORY.
Reporter: JAMES, WHY DO YOU WANT TO ENTER
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI?
James Meredith: I THINK THAT EVERY CITIZEN SHOULD HAVE
AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE EDUCATION IN HIS OWN STATE.
Jackson: HE TOOK THE SYSTEM ON.
HE TOOK IT ON.
WHEN YOU THINK OF THAT, ITHINK ABOUT A GUY WHO WAS BOLD,
COURAGEOUS, SMART, MARCHED TO THE BEAT OF HIS OWN DRUM.
Gilliam: THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI,
IT WAS THE SYMBOL OF WHITE SUPREMACY.
THE THOUGHT AT THAT POINT OF A BLACK PERSON
ENROLLING AND ATTENDING THAT SCHOOL
WAS BEYOND THE IMAGINATION OF SO MANY PEOPLE.
Narrator: JAMES SAW AN OPPORTUNITY
IN RECENTLY ELECTED PRESIDENT JOHN KENNEDY.
James Meredith: JOHN KENNEDY WAS A SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS
THAT HAD NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE BLACK ISSUE,
BUT HE KNEW THE POLITICAL POWER OF THE BLACK WHITE ISSUE.
THE DAY HE GOT INAUGURATED, THE NEXT DAY,
I DROPPED MY LETTER IN THE MAIL.
Narrator: OLE MISS SENDS AN ENCOURAGING RESPONSE
AND JAMES REPLIES.
James Meredith: I'M VERY PLEASED WITH YOUR LETTER
THAT YOU RECENTLY SENT TO ME.
I SINCERELY HOPE THAT YOUR ATTITUDE
TOWARD ME DOES NOT CHANGE
UPON LEARNING THAT I AM NOT A WHITE APPLICANT.
Narrator: WITHIN DAYS OLE MISS RESPONDS.
JAMES WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REGISTER.
HE KNOWS HIS CAMPAIGN WOULD END UP IN THE COURTS.
FOR THAT HE WILL NEED LEGAL SUPPORT.
James Meredith: IT WAS MEDGAR EVERS THAT FIRST SUGGESTED
THAT I CONTACT THE NAACP
OF WHICH HE WAS THE TOP PERSON IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
HE PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND.
Narrator: IN 1954, THE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND HAD WON
THE CASE OF BROWN VERSUS BOARD OF EDUCATION
WHICH EXPLICITLY OUTLAWED
RACIAL SEGREGATION IN PUBLIC EDUCATION.
FOR 16 MONTHS ATTORNEY CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY
PUSHES MEREDITH'S CASE.
IN SEPTEMBER 1962, THE SUPREME COURT
RULES THAT OLE MISS MUST ADMIT JAMES MEREDITH.
James Meredith: I HAD ENGAGED IN A WAR AGAINST
THE ORGANIZED POWER OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
Narrator: AND MEREDITH'S WAR IS ABOUT
TO ENTER A NEW, FAR MORE DANGEROUS PHASE.
Angry Student: GO HOME NIGGER.
GO HOME NIGGER!
Narrator: SEPTEMBER 1962.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI IS ON HIGH ALERT.
JAMES MEREDITH HAS CHOSEN TO FIGHT HIS BATTLE
FOR BLACK EQUALITY BY CHALLENGING OLE MISS
TO ENROLL HIM AS IT'S FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT.
BUT THE FORCES OPPOSING HIM
STRETCHED FAR BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION,
ALL THE WAY TO THE STATE'S GOVERNOR, ROSS BARNETT.
Barnett Jr.: MY FATHER WAS BORNWAY OUT IN THE COUNTRY
IN CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI, 1898.
HE WAS BORN, AS HE SAID,
60 MILES FROM A RAILROAD AND 60 MILES FROM A BANK.
THEN HE WENT TO LAW SCHOOL AT OLE MISS.
MY FATHER LIKED BLACK FOLKS,
BUT HE BELIEVED THAT THE LORD MADE WHITE FOLKS,
BLACK FOLKS, YELLOW FOLKS, RED FOLKS, WHATEVER,
AND THAT WAS AN INTENTION OF THE LORD.
Narrator: AND BARNETT HAD RUN FOR GOVERNOR
ON AN EXPLICITLY RACIST PLATFORM.
Barnett: FRIENDS, I'M A MISSISSIPPI SEGREGATIONIST
AND I AM PROUD OF IT.
Doyle: ROSS BARNETT WAS AFRAID OF BEING KILLED POLITICALLY
THE MOMENT THAT THE SUN ROSE
ON THE DAY THAT MEREDITH GOES TO SCHOOL.
HE WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO SALVAGE HIS OWN CAREER.
Narrator: DAYS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT
DECISION IN MEREDITH'S FAVOR,
BARNETT DRAWS A LINE IN THE SAND.
Barnett: I HAVE SAID IN EVERY COUNTY IN MISSISSIPPI
THAT NO SCHOOL IN OUR STATE WILL
BE INTEGRATED WHILE I AM YOUR GOVERNOR.
Narrator: THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
IS NOW IN OPEN REBELLION AGAINST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
BOTH SIDES KNOW THE FACE OFF COULD LEAD TO BLOODSHED
AND AT THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL IS JAMES MEREDITH.
Williams: I THINK THERE WERE THOSE WITHIN
THE CIVIL RIGHTS COMMUNITY WHO UNDERSTOOD
HOW SIGNIFICANT THIS MOMENT WAS.
I THINK THERE WERE OTHERS WHO UNDERSTOOD
HOW DANGEROUS THIS UNDERTAKING WAS.
THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE IN SEPTEMBER OF '62
THAT MEREDITH WAS GONNA COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE.
James Meredith: I EXPECTED TO BE KILLED.
Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER THE 20TH,
MEREDITH ARRIVED AT OLE MISS.
James Meredith: ALL THE STUDENTS WERE OUT THERE.
THEY WERE CUSSING AND ALL OF THAT.
James Meredith: FIRST, HE ASKED WHICH ONE IS JAMES MEREDITH
AND I WAS THE ONLY BLACK ANYWHERE ON THE CAMPUS.
Narrator: BARNETT REFUSES TO ADMIT MEREDITH.
Barnett Jr.: HE WAS DOING EVERYTHING HE COULD LEGALLY
AND SOME MAY SAY ILLEGALLY TO KEEP MEREDITH OUT OF OLE MISS.
Narrator: MEREDITH'S LEGAL TEAM OBTAINS
A COURT ORDER PROHIBITING BARNETT
FROM BLOCKING MEREDITH'S ATTEMPT TO REGISTER.
Reporter: MISS MOTLEY,
WHAT'S GONNA BE THE PROCEDURE FOR TOMORROW?
Motley: WELL, MR MEREDITH IS GONNA GO OVER
TO JACKSON AND REGISTER.
Reporter: DO YOU EXPECT THAT THE BOARD WILL COMPLY?
Motley: THEY TOLD THE COURT THEY WOULD.
Reporter: DO YOU ANTICIPATE ANY DIFFICULTIES TOMORROW?
Motley: NO, I DON'T.
Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 25TH,
MEREDITH TRIES AGAIN,
THIS TIME AT THE STATE OFFICE IN JACKSON.
Reporter: JAMES MEREDITH HAS JUST ARRIVED
IN THE CUSTODY OF FEDERAL OFFICIALS.
AND APPARENTLY MAKING HIS WAY UP
TO THE 10TH FLOOR TO REGISTER.
Reporter: HERE HE COMES NOW,
PATROL ASKING US ALL TO BACK UP
Officer: JUST BACK UP, EVERYBODY PLEASE.
Barnett: TO JAMES H. MEREDITH.
APPLICANT FOR ADMISSION AS A STUDENT
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI.
I, ROSS R. BARNETT,
GOVERNOR OF THE GREAT AND SOVEREIGN STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
INTERPOSE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS STATE AND DO HEREBY,
NOW AND FINALLY DENY YOU ADMISSION
TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI.
Doyle: AGAIN HE HAS TO ENDURE THIS RIDICULOUS DANCE
WHERE THE STATE SAYS, "NO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO REGISTER YOU."
Narrator: PRESIDENT KENNEDY
ATTEMPTS TO REASON WITH BARNETT.
Narrator: WHILE BARNETT STALLS,
WHITE SUPREMACISTS POUR INTO OXFORD.
Reporter: YOU MUST BE AWARE THAT YOUR VERY LIFE
MAY BE AT STAKE WHEN YOU WALK ON TO THAT CAMPUS?
James Meredith: WELL, EVERYONE'S LIFE IS AT STAKE AT ALL TIMES.
Narrator: PRESIDENT KENNEDY CANNOT
ALLOW BARNETT TO DEFY THE SUPREME COURT.
Narrator: THAT WEEKEND, AS KENNEDY PONDERS HIS OPTIONS,
BARNETT JOINS THOUSANDS OF OLE MISS STUDENTS
AT A FOOTBALL GAME AGAINST KENTUCKY.
STANDING AT THE 50-YARD LINE AT HALF TIME,
BARNETT REMAINS DEFIANT.
Barnett: I LOVE MISSISSIPPI.
I LOVE HER PEOPLE,
I LOVE AND I RESPECT OUR HERITAGE.
Narrator: THE NEXT DAY,
THOUSANDS OF US TROOPS MOBILIZE FOR A SHOWDOWN IN OXFORD.
James Meredith: THAT WAS MY ONLY CONCERN
WAS WHAT THE UNITED STATES MILITARY WAS GONNA DO.
AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND HIS ADVISORS
WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT DETERMINED THAT.
AND THOSE WERE THE ONLY PEOPLE I EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT.
Narrator: MEREDITH'S CONFRONTATION WITH BARNETT
HAS BECOME A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS
AND IT IS ABOUT TO ESCALATE FURTHER.
Narrator: BY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 30TH 1962,
JAMES MEREDITH'S ONE MAN CAMPAIGN TO INTEGRATE OLE MISS
HAS DRAWN THOUSANDS OF WHITE SUPREMACISTS TO CAMPUS.
Reporter: SEVERAL HUNDRED FEDERAL MARSHALS
FLY INTO OXFORD ARMED WITH TEAR GAS AND SIDEARMS.
Narrator: THE MARSHALS TAKE UP POSITIONS
IN FRONT OF THE LYCEUM BUILDING,
WHERE MEREDITH WILL TRY TO REGISTER THE NEXT MORNING.
Wilkie: I DREW THIS THE DAY AFTER THE RIOT.
IT ACCOMPANIED ABOUT A 10-PAGE LETTER I SENT MY MOTHER
WHO HAD GRADUATED FROM OLD MISS IN 1931.
A CROWD OF STUDENTS GATHERED IN THE AREA,
THE CIRCLE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE LYCEUM BUILDING.
I'D SAY THERE WERE 500 OF US THERE.
IT WAS LARGELY A CURIOUS CROWD.
Schieffer: I HAD JUST GOTTEN OUT OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE.
AND I WENT BACK TO WORK AT THIS
LITTLE RADIO STATION IN FORT WORTH
AND THE STATION SENT ME DOWN
TO OLE MISS TO COVER THIS STORY.
I DROVE ALL NIGHT, GOT INTO OXFORD ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON
AND ALREADY THERE WERE CROWDS FORMING ON THE STREETS.
I STARTED HEARING THUDS AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK
AND IT TURNED OUT THAT THEY WERE
THROWING ROCKS AND BEER BOTTLES.
Wilkie: IT BEGAN TO GET A LITTLE BIT UGLY,
THERE WERE A FEW STUDENTS WHO WERE PROVOKING THE SITUATION,
TAUNTING THE MARSHALS, THROWING ROCKS.
Schieffer: THE HIGHWAY PATROL
WHO HAD BEEN THERE, SUDDENLY LEFT.
Wilkie: OUTSIDERS WHO HAD NOT BEEN ABLE
TO GET ONTO THE CAMPUS SUDDENLY
CAME POURING INTO THE CAMPUS WITH THEIR GUNS
TO DEFEND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF MISSISSIPPI
OR WHATEVER THEY CLAIMED THEY WERE DOING.
Narrator: THAT EVENING, AS CHAOS CONTINUES ON CAMPUS,
KENNEDY ATTEMPTS TO CALM THE SITUATION.
Kennedy: AMERICANS ARE FREE AND SURE TO DISAGREE WITH THE LAW,
BUT NOT TO DISOBEY IT.
Barnett: EVERY PUBLIC OFFICIAL, INCLUDING MYSELF,
SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MAKE THE CHOICE TONIGHT
WHETHER HE WILL SUBMIT
OR WHETHER HE IS WILLING TO GO TO JAIL.
Schieffer: AS DARK CAME ON,
THEY STARTED THROWING MOLOTOV COCKTAILS AT THE MARSHALS
AND THE MARSHALS WOULD THEN COUNTER WITH TEAR GAS.
Reporter: CHUCK, THE SITUATION IS BAD.
THE MARSHALS ARE STILL FIRING TEARGAS SHELLS
AND EXPLODING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Meek: THAT WENT ON ALL NIGHT, TEAR GAS, BULLETS.
SO OPPRESSIVE, THE ONLY WAY WE STAYED THE WHOLE NIGHT
IS TO GET ON OUR BELLIES
AND IF YOU GOT DOWN REAL LOW,
THE TEAR GAS WOULD BE ABOVE AND YOU COULD STAY DOWN THERE.
Schieffer: AND THEN THE WORST THING HAD HAPPENED.
WE HEARD GUNSHOTS AND REALIZED THERE WAS A SNIPER
OR AT LEAST ONE SNIPER, MAYBE TWO,
WHO WERE UP ON THE ROOF OF ONE OF THE DORMS
AND THEY WERE SHOOTING DOWN INTO THE CROWD.
YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE GOING TO SHOOT AT.
YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THOSE BULLETS WERE GOING.
Gilliam: ONE OF THE PEOPLE THEYHATED MOST WERE JOURNALISTS
WHO WERE COMING BACK AND TELLING
THE OUTSIDE WORLD WHAT THINGS WERE LIKE.
AND AS A BLACK REPORTER,
THERE WOULD BE NO WAY THAT I COULD'VE GOTTEN ON CAMPUS
BECAUSE IT WAS JUST TOO DANGEROUS.
Narrator: AS VIOLENCE ESCALATES,
FEDERAL MARSHALS ESCORT MEREDITH
TO A CAMPUS DORM UNDER HEAVY SECURITY.
IN A FRANTIC BID TO CONTROL THE SITUATION,
PRESIDENT KENNEDY PERSONALLY CALLS GOVERNOR BARNETT.
Williams: THERE IS A DEGREE OF THEATER IN THE NEGOTIATIONS
THAT ARE TAKING PLACE BETWEEN
GOVERNOR BARNETT AND THE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION.
AND PART OF THAT POLITICAL THEATER
IS PREDICATED ON THE DESIRE OF BOTH CAMPS
TO NOT TO LOSE VOTERS.
Narrator: THE NEXT MORNING,
FEDERAL TROOPS BEGIN TO ENTER OXFORD.
Doyle: THE 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION
WAS DROPPED INTO OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI
THE MORNING OF THE RIOT.
YOU HAD THE 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION,
YOU HAD THE 2ND INFANTRY DIVISION,
YOU HAD THE 503RD MILITARY POLICE BATTALION,
AND THE 716TH MILITARY POLICE BATTALION
RUSHING IN TO TRY TO SAVE MEREDITH,
SAVE THE TOWN, AND SAVE THE PEOPLE,
THE CITY OF OXFORD FROM BEING BURNED DOWN BASICALLY.
Meek: THERE WERE A LINE OF JEEPS THAT WERE 12-WIDE
ALL THE WAY OVER THE FIELDS TO THE HIGHWAY,
WHICH WAS A LONG WAY.
THEY HAD TAKEN THIS COMMUNITY AND LOCKED IT DOWN.
Doyle: THIS IS THE STORY OF A 29 YEAR-OLD
BLACK AMERICAN MILITARY VETERAN
MANIPULATING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES,
AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
INTO A CRISIS THAT IN THE END
OPENED THE GATES OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ALL AMERICANS,
WHICH IS A SPECTACULAR ACHIEVEMENT.
Narrator: BY THE TIME TROOPS RESTORED ORDER,
300 PEOPLE HAD BEEN ARRESTED.
MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE WERE INJURED,
INCLUDING 30 GUNSHOT WOUNDS TO FEDERAL MARSHALS.
TWO CIVILIANS WERE KILLED, INCLUDING A JOURNALIST.
Schieffer: THE REPORTER WHO WAS KILLED
WAS FOR AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE.
HE HAD BEEN SENT THERE BECAUSE
SOMEBODY IN HIS OFFICE, IT WAS THEIR DAY OFF.
Wickham: RAY GUNTER WAS A YOUNG MAN FROM ABBEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI,
AND HE CAME DOWN TO SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS WAS ABOUT.
HE WAS A LOCAL GUY WHO WAS
IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME.
Narrator: THAT SAME MORNING IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE RIOT,
MEREDITH BEGINS HIS FIRST DAY AS A STUDENT AT OLE MISS.
Meek: I COULD NEVER FORGET SEEING JAMES STEP OUT THAT DORM
AND I THOUGHT AT THE TIME, "GOLLY, WHAT A BRAVE MAN,"
BECAUSE, HELL, I WAS SCARED.
AND I WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE.
BUT HE WAS STRONG, STEADFAST,
AND MADE HIS WAY, AND HE WAS DETERMINED.
Reporter: SIR, THERE'S BEEN A GREAT DEAL
OF TURMOIL AND CONFLICT,
TWO PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED,
DO YOU HAVE ANY FEELINGS OF GUILT,
HAVE YOU GIVEN IT ANY SECOND THOUGHTS?
James Meredith: I'M VERY SORRY THAT ANYONE
HAD TO GET HURT OR KILLED.
BUT, OF COURSE, I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF YOU BELIEVE
THAT I HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT.
Narrator: JAMES HAD WON THE BATTLE.
IT HAS TAKEN 16 MONTHS
AND THE LARGEST MOBILIZATION OF FEDERAL TROOPS
ON U.S. SOIL SINCE THE CIVIL WAR.
James Meredith: I FELT THAT I HAD ACCOMPLISHED
A SMALL PART OF MY MISSION.
Narrator: OLE MISS IS NO LONGER SEGREGATED.
James Meredith: AT NINE, I ATTENDED MY FIRST CLASS,
IT WAS A COURSE IN COLONIAL AMERICAN HISTORY.
I WAS A FEW MINUTES LATE
AND WAS GIVEN A SEAT AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM.
I REMEMBER A GIRL, THE ONLY GIRL THERE I THINK,
AND SHE WAS CRYING,
BUT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FROM THE TEARGAS IN THE ROOM.
I WAS CRYING FROM IT MYSELF.
Meek: I THOUGHT, "GOSH, SOMEBODY,
"I GOTTA GET A PICTURE OF HIM IN THE CLASSROOM."
SO, I TOOK A NIKON, AND I PUT ON MY TRENCH COAT,
AND WHEN JAMES WENT IN THE FIRST CLASSROOM,
I JUST SNAPPED AS BEST I COULD.
AND THE CLASS BEGAN TO EMPTY,
INCLUDING THE INSTRUCTOR
AND THERE WAS JAMES BY HIMSELF
AND THAT WAS A POWERFUL MOMENT.
Narrator: MEREDITH EMBARKS ON HIS STUDIES,
SPURNED BY THE VAST MAJORITY OF HIS FELLOW STUDENTS.
BUT THE THREAT OF VIOLENCE IS EVER PRESENT.
Narrator: SOON AFTER MEREDITH BEGINS HIS SECOND SEMESTER,
MEREDITH'S CLOSE FRIEND MEDGAR EVERS IS MURDERED,
SHOT IN THE BACK IN THE DRIVEWAY OF HIS HOME.
Evers: I'VE HAD A NUMBER OF THREATENING CALLS,
PEOPLE CALLING ME SAYING THAT THEY WERE GONNA KILL ME,
SAYING THEY WERE GONNA BLOW MY HOME UP
AND SAYING THAT I ONLY HAD A FEW HOURS TO LIVE.
I SAID "WELL, WHENEVER MY TIME COMES I'M READY".
Narrator: JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER,
JAMES REACHES THE GOAL
THAT MEDGAR EVERS HELPED HIM TO REALIZE.
University Dean: JAMES HOWARD MEREDITH.
Narrator: TODAY, NEARLY 60 YEARS LATER,
ONE IN 10 STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
IS AFRICAN AMERICAN.
Student: CAN I SHAKE YOUR HAND?
James Meredith: I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE.
Narrator: WHILE INTEGRATING OLE MISS
IS A LANDMARK VICTORY,
FOR JAMES THE BATLLE WASN'T OVER.
James Meredith: THE CONCEPT OF CIVIL RIGHTS
IS THAT WE GOOD WHITE FOLKS
WILL HELP YOU GET SOME OF YOUR RIGHTS,
THREE OR FOUR OF THEM,
IF YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS WE DO.
Doyle: HE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE TRADITIONAL VOCABULARY
AND IMAGERY OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
WAS SOMEHOW INDICATED WEAKNESS
OR INFERIORITY OR SUPPLICATION.
James Meredith: CIVIL RIGHTS IS AN INSULT TO CITIZENSHIP.
EVERY CITIZEN IN THE UNITED STATES
IS ENTITLED TO EVERY ONE OF THOSE RIGHTS.
Judy Meredith: HIS THING WAS,
"IF YOU GIVE ME SOME CIVIL RIGHTS,
"WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE RIGHTS I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE?"
James Meredith: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE
IS EVEN MORE USED THAN ACTUAL VIOLENCE.
Williams: FOR MEREDITH, IT WAS THIS OVERWHELMING FEAR
THAT HE UNDERSTOOD MOST BLACKS
STILL EXPERIENCE IN THE DEEP SOUTH
WHEN JUST TRYING TO EXERCISE BASIC CIVIL RIGHTS,
EVEN SOMETHING AS A SIMPLE
AS GETTING A HAMBURGER IN A RESTAURANT,
AND GOD FORBID, TRYING TO GO TO REGISTER TO VOTE.
James Meredith: YOU UNDERSTAND, LYNCHING HAD BEEN
A KEY FACTOR OF THE FEAR.
BUT IT WAS ALMOST FINISHED IN THE '60S.
BUT THE FEAR WAS STILL THERE.
Narrator: BY 1966, JUST FIVE PERCENT
OF BLACKS IN MISSISSIPPI ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE,
ASSERTING THEIR RIGHT COULD BE A DANGEROUS UNDERTAKING.
MEREDITH, DETERMINED TO DRAW ATTENTION
TO THE FEAR THAT BLACK PEOPLE EXPERIENCED,
EMBARKS ON HIS NEXT GREAT MISSION, A WALK AGAINST FEAR.
Reporter: JAMES MEREDITH, A VETERAN NEGRO LEADER
SET OFF ON FOOT FROM MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
TO JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, TO CONQUER FEAR, MEREDITH SAID.
Narrator: HE AIMES TO WALK 220 MILES,
ENCOURAGING BLACKS TO REGISTER AS HE GOES.
James Meredith: I CALL IT MY SECOND ASSAULT ON MISSISSIPPI.
Narrator: THE MARCHES FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
THE PREVIOUS YEAR
HAD ENCOURAGED THIS FORM OF PROTEST.
BUT TRUE TO CHARACTER,
MEREDITH HAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN MIND.
HE'D WALK BY HIMSELF.
Wright: HE HAD INFORMED OTHER LEADERS OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO.
AND SOME OF THEM SCOFFED AT HIM, SOME LAUGHED AT HIM.
NOW SOME OF THEM SAID, "OH, MAN, YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA LIVE.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA KILL YOU
IF THEY SEE A BLACK MAN WALKING DOWN AN INTERSTATE."
James Meredith: WHEN I TOLD THEM I WAS GONNA DO, THEY LAUGHED.
THEY SAID GO HEAD HOME, DIRT FARMER BLACK FROM MISSISSIPPI
WITH YOUR IGNORANT SELF.
AND YOU KNOW, I SAID OKAY.
YOU'RE ALL SO SMART AND I'M SO DUMB,
WE'RE GONNA SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
Wright: HE DOESN'T NEED ANYONE'S PERMISSION TO DO IT.
WHETHER THEY AGREE WITH HIM OR NOT,
IT DOESN'T MATTER TO HIM BECAUSE HE'S ON A MISSION
AND HE KNOWS THAT HE'S ON A MISSION.
Williams: MEREDITH HAD NEVER CONCEIVED
OF THIS AS A MARCH OR DEMONSTRATION.
HE MADE THIS SHARP DISTINCTION
BETWEEN DEMONSTRATIONS AND MARCHES AND WHAT HE WAS DOING,
AND HE BASICALLY SAID THIS WALK AGAINST FEAR
WAS TO RECLAIM A RIGHT THAT EVERY
AMERICAN SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO.
IT WAS ABOUT RECLAIMING FOR BLACKS IN MISSISSIPPI,
AND IN FACT, IN AMERICA,
THIS SENSE OF BEING ENTITLED TO,
JUST THE BASIC ACCOUTREMENTS OF CITIZENSHIP.
Narrator: AS MEREDITH HAD BEEN AT OLE MISS,
HE IS ONE MAN, ALONE, SEEKING TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
Doyle: IT WAS JAMES MEREDITH,
IN A PITH HELMET WITH A FEW DOLLARS IN HIS POCKET
AND A CANE, SAID, "WE'RE GONNA DEMONSTRATE OUR COURAGE
AND THE WORKERS AND THE CITIZENS
OF EVERY TOWN WE GO THROUGH,
I'M GONNA ASK THEM TO GO REGISTER TO VOTE."
NOW, REGISTERING TO VOTE, EVEN IN 1966 IN MISSISSIPPI,
COULD GET YOU, AS A BLACK MAN OR A WOMAN, KILLED.
Narrator: ON THE SECOND DAY,
HE CROSSES THE STATE LINE FROM TENNESSEE,
THE EYES OF MISSISSIPPI ARE NOW UPON HIM.
James Meredith: ABOUT THE TOP OF THE HILL,
SOMEBODY CAME UP AND TOLD ME
THERE'S A MAN DOWN THERE WAITING SAYS HE'S GONNA SHOOT YOU.
I SHOOK IT OFF.
I'D HAD MANY THREATS IN MY LIFETIME.
IT DIDN'T BOTHER ME AT ALL.
AND I GOT DOWN HERE AND I HEARD SOMEBODY SAY,
"JAMES MEREDITH.
EVERYBODY ELSE, GET OUT OF THE WAY.
I ONLY WANT JAMES MEREDITH."
AND THEN A MAN HAD COME UP OUT
OF ONE OF THESE DITCHES OVER THERE
AND HE SHOT ME TWO TIMES.
I'M HIT IN THE LEG I KNOW AND IN THE HEAD.
AIN'T NOBODY GOING TO GET ME IN THE CAR?
Man: HERE IT COMES RIGHT NOW, HERE IT IS.
Reporter: POLICE FIND A MAN
WITH A SHOTGUN HIDING IN THE BUSHES.
James Meredith: THE ONLY THING SIGNIFICANT TO ME AT THAT POINT,
HE DIDN'T KILL ME.
Reporter: AND NO ONE ASKS HIM
FOR AN EXPLANATION AND NONE SEEMS REQUIRED.
James Meredith: NOW, FRANKLY, I DID NOT PLAN TO GET SHOT.
BUT AFTER I GOT SHOT, EVERYTHING I HAD HOPED FOR HAPPENED.
Narrator: THE DAY AFTER MEREDITH IS SHOT,
LEADERS FLY INTO MEMPHIS FROM ALL FIVE
OF THE NATION'S MAJOR CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS,
THE SO CALLED BIG FIVE HAVE ARRIVED IN TOWN.
THE MOVEMENT HAS BEEN SPLINTERING
WITH SOME PUSHING TO TURN UP HEAT ON TACTICS.
Malcolm X: THE DAY OF THE SIT-IN,
THE LIE-IN, THE CRAWL-IN,
THE CRY-IN AND THE BEG-IN IS OUTDATED.
Narrator: AND THEY DID NOT AGREE ON THE NEXT STEPS
Williams: DR. KING DOES NOT WANT TO REPUDIATE ANY GROUP,
BUT HE IS PUT IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION
BY FLOYD MCKISSICK, AND STOKELY CARMICHAEL.
THEY WANT A MARCH IN WHICH BLACKS
WERE GONNA TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE
IN WHICH THEY WILL NOT ESCHEW NONVIOLENCE,
IN WHICH THERE SHOULD BE ARMED SELF-DEFENSE.
WHITNEY YOUNG AND ROY WILKINS CAN'T SIGN ON TO THIS.
James Meredith: BUT THE OTHER QUESTION,
"COULD STOKELY CARMICHAEL
USE BLACK POWER?"
AND I SAID STOKELY CARMICHAEL IS A CITIZEN
HE CAN SAY ANYTHING HE WANNA SAY.
Dr. King: THIS MARCH, THAT WE ARE CONTINUING
STARTED BY JAMES MEREDITH,
I AM CONVINCED WILL HAVE AS GREAT
AN IMPACT OR PROBABLY A GREATER IMPACT
THAN THE MARCH FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY.
Narrator: WITHIN DAYS, HIS LONE WALK
HAS TRANSFORMED INTO A NATIONAL EVENT.
♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME
Announcer: ALONG THE WAY,
FIELD HANDS AND DOMESTIC WORKERS
JOINED THE MARCH AS IT PASSED THEIR HOMES.
♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME
Narrator: ON JUNE 16TH,
THE MARCHERS ARRIVE AT GREENWOOD,
ABOUT 100 MILES FROM JACKSON.
Reporter: AT GREENWOOD, CITY OFFICIALS FIRST BALKED
AT GRANTING A CAMPSITE, THEN DECIDED TO BE HELPFUL.
Narrator: AFTER SOME NEGOTIATION,
THE MARCHERS ARE ABLE TO CAMP ON PUBLIC LAND
BUT FRUSTRATION IS NOW AT A PEAK.
Reporter: STOKELY CARMICHAEL SPOKE LOUDER AND LOUDER.
HE SOUNDED THE MARCH'S NEW RALLYING CALL, BLACK POWER.
Carmichael: WE WANT BLACK POWER.
WE WANT BLACK POWER.
Williams: BLACK POWER DIDN'T JUST APPEAR IN 1966,
IT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE.
IT WAS ABOUT BLACK EMPOWERMENT,
IT WAS ABOUT BLACK PRIDE,
BUILDING UP ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY
IN THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
Narrator: A FEW DAYS LATER,
3,500 MARCHERS ARRIVE IN CANTON
THIS TIME OFFICIALS REFUSE TO ALLOW CAMPING ON PUBLIC LAND.
Dr. King: THIS IS IMPORTANT, WE'RE GOING TO STICK TOGETHER.
IF NECESSARY, WE ARE WILLING TO FILL UP
ALL OF THE JAILS IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
Narrator: WHEN STATE TROOPERS ARRIVE,
THE MARCHERS HAVE NO ESCAPE,
MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN ARE GASSED AND BEATEN.
BUT THEY REMAIN UNAFRAID AND UNDETERRED.
Narrator: BY JUNE 26TH 1966,
MEREDITH'S LONE WALK ACROSS MISSISSIPPI
HAS BECOME A MARCH OF MAGNITUDE.
Reporter: 20 DAYS AFTER HE WAS WOUNDED,
MEREDITH REJOINED THE MARCH AS IT APPROACHED JACKSON.
Narrator: THE FOLLOWING DAY,
THE MARCHERS ARRIVE AT THEIR FINAL DESTINATION,
MISSISSIPPI'S STATE CAPITOL IN JACKSON.
Man: ♪ I'M GONNA LET IT SHINE
James Meredith: THE PURPOSE OF THE MARCH THAT
I STARTED THREE WEEKS AGO TODAY.
WHY I STOOD STRAIGHT UP AND TO CHALLENGE
THAT THING AT THE BASE OF THE SYSTEM OF WHITE SUPREMACY.
AND THAT THING IS FEAR.
Narrator: ALONG THE WAY,
4,000 BLACK MISSISSIPPIANS HAVE REGISTERED TO VOTE.
Williams: THE MEREDITH MARCH IS GOING TO HAVE
A VERY IMPORTANT IMPACT IN MISSISSIPPI
IN TERMS OF EMPOWERING PEOPLE
TO SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING ABLE
TO GO TO REGISTER TO VOTE.
Narrator: TODAY PROPORTIONATELY
MORE BLACKS THAN WHITES
ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN MISSISSIPPI.
THE VOTER TURNOUT AMONGST BLACKS WITHIN THE STATE
HAS BEEN BEYOND THAT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS
OUTSIDE THE SOUTH FOR DECADES.
James Meredith: BUT THE VOTE IS NOT FOR THE VOTING.
THE VOTE IS FOR GETTING WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE PEOPLE.
AND WE AIN'T EVEN THERE YET.
Doyle: MEREDITH TRIGGERS,
THROUGH HIS OWN COURAGE
AND HIS OWN TAKING A BULLET FOR THE CAUSE,
HE TRIGGERS THE LAST GREAT MARCH OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA.
Narrator: IN THE YEARS AFTER 1966,
JAMES MEREDITH CONTINUES TO FORGE HIS OWN UNIQUE PATH.
NOW BASED IN NEW YORK,
HE BECOMES THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE
AND CHALLENGES POPULAR INCUMBENT ADAM CLAYTON POWELL
FOR A SEAT IN CONGRESS.
BY THE 1970S, HE TURNS HIS FOCUS TO WALL STREET.
James Meredith: SINCE I LEFT MISSISSIPPI SEVEN YEARS AGO,
I'VE SPENT ALMOST ALL OF MY TIME IN NEW YORK
STUDYING HOW THE CAPITALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM WORKS
AND ABOUT THE ACCUMULATION AND RETAINING OF WEALTH,
BUT THIS HAS NOT REACHED BLACKS, EVERYONE AGREES WITH ME.
Narrator: HIS DECISIONS IN LATER LIFE
HAVE SOMETIMES BEEN UNEXPECTED.
IN 1989, HE JOINS THE STAFF OF SENATOR JESSE HELMS,
AN ARCH CONSERVATIVE WHO CONSISTENTLY
OPPOSED CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION.
Doyle: JAMES MEREDITH WENT TO WORK FOR JESSE HELMS,
THE FORMER ARCH SEGREGATIONIST OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
AT THE TIME, JESSE HELMS HAD RENOUNCED SEGREGATION
AS A LEGAL DOMINANT THEORY IN AMERICA, HE HAD REJECTED IT.
Narrator: AND IN 1991, HE ENDORSES DAVID DUKE,
FORMER KKK LEADER FOR GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA.
James Meredith: I ALWAYS THOUGHT MY JOB WAS
TO CONVERT BAD WHITE FOLKS INTO GOOD WHITE FOLKS.
I CONSIDER ONE OF MY MOST SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES
CONVERTING DAVID DUKE FROM A KLANSMAN TO A FORMER KLANSMAN.
Doyle: DUKE, AT THE TIME, HAD RENOUNCED THE KLAN.
JAMES MEREDITH THOUGHT DUKE WAS A FORMER RACIST.
NOW, I THINK HE WAS PROBABLY WRONG THERE.
Narrator: MEREDITH REMAINS A FREE THINKING
CHALLENGER TO THE STATUS QUO,
NOT AFRAID TO SIDE WITH A PERCEIVED ENEMY
IN ORDER TO OPEN UP AND FACE A DEBATE.
43 YEARS AFTER HE GRADUATED,
OLE MISS ERECTED A STATUE TO HONOR JAMES MEREDITH.
Kellum: SOME OF OUR STUDENTS CAME TOGETHER
TO DISCUSS WHAT COULD THE UNIVERSITY DO
AND THEY ALL FELT WE SHOULD HAVE A CIVIL RIGHTS MONUMENT.
Lewis: BECAUSE OF INDIVIDUALS LIKE JAMES MEREDITH.
Kellum: WE WANTED THE MONUMENT LOCATED BETWEEN
THE LYCEUM THAT REJECTED MR. MEREDITH
AND THE LIBRARY THAT WAS MR. MEREDITH'S
OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE.
OH, MY FAVORITE PART OF THIS WAS,
I LOOKED OUT ONE DAY AND THERE WAS A LITTLE CHILD,
PROBABLY SEVEN OR EIGHT,
WHO WAS ON A SCHOOL TOUR,
WHO WAS HOLDING MR. MEREDITH'S STATUE'S HAND
AND I MUST TELL YOU, I HAD TEARS THAT DAY.
Narrator: OLE MISS HAS MADE PROGRESS SINCE 1962.
Barnett: I LOVE MISSISSIPPI.
Narrator: IN JULY 2018, AT THE AGE OF 85,
JAMES IS INDUCTED INTO THE OLE MISS ALUMNI HALL OF FAME.
Judy Meredith: THEY PUT JAMES ON THE 50-YARD LINE.
THE WHOLE STADIUM STOOD UP AND JUST APPLAUDED.
Speaker: MR. JAMES MEREDITH.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Judy Meredith: THAT IS A HECK OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT
FOR MISSISSIPPI
AND I HOPE IT CONTINUES TO GO IN THAT DIRECTION.
Narrator: MEREDITH REMAINS COMMITTED
TO THE FIGHT HE STARTED IN MISSISSIPPI
MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO.
James Meredith: WE'VE GOT TO HAVE A NEW AGENDA
IF BLACKS ARE EVER TO BECOME FULL CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTRY
AND ENJOY ALL OF THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES.
Gilliam: THE LEGACY OF KNOWING THAT,
AS A BLACK PERSON IN AMERICA,
THERE ARE CHANCES YOU ARE GONNA HAVE
TO TAKE IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT CHANGE.
Williams: THE CLASSIC INDIVIDUAL WHO BELIEVES
IT'S THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO INTERROGATE
AND CONSTANTLY PUSH THE BOUNDARIES
OF OUR DEMOCRACY TO MAKE IT BETTER.
Judy Meredith: NOT CARING ABOUT WHAT ANYBODY
ELSE THINKS ABOUT HIM, I THINK THAT'S HIS LEGACY.
Narrator: ULTIMATELY, HE FORCES US TO CONFRONT
ONE SIMPLE BUT PROFOUNDLY POWERFUL QUESTION.
James Meredith: AM I A CITIZEN OR AM I NOT A CITIZEN?