The Early Years

James Meredith was born in June 25th, 1933 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. He was the 7th son of Moses Meredith and grew up on a farm. By the early age of 15, Meredith had been forced into a segregated car and sparked his occupation as a civil rights worker.

Meredith enlisted in the Air Force right after he had graduated high school. He left the Air Force in 1960 and Attended Jackson State University, a segregated black university. In 1961 Meredith had left Jackson State in attempt to enroll in Mississippi State University, with the inspiration from Kennedy's Inaugural address. After being denied, Meredith sued Mississippi State with the help of the NAACP, and took the case to the Supreme Court. However, in 1955, with Brown vs. Board of Ed, the court ruled segregation of public schools to be unconstitutional. Meredith was allowed to attend Ole Miss.