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S. C. R. No. 527 *SS08/R1306* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2
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To: Rules
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) DuPree, England, Frazier,
Hopson, Michel
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 527
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LEGACY OF 1
MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS ICON JAMES HOWARD MEREDITH ON THE 2
OCCASION OF HIS RECEIPT OF THE PRESTIGIOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 3
DISTINCTION AT THE FOURTH ANNUAL MISSISSIPPI PINNACLE AWARDS. 4
WHEREAS, Mississippi civil rights advocate and the first 5
African American student at Ole Miss, James Howard Meredith will 6
receive the Lifetime Achievement Distinction at the 2026 Fourth 7
Annual Mississippi Pinnacle Awards. The gala, hosted by Sales & 8
Marketing Professionals, honors top Mississippi leaders, with this 9
award recognizing a lifetime of Mr. Meredith's significant 10
contributions; and 11
WHEREAS, James Howard Meredith was born June 25, 1933, and is 12
an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and 13
United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first 14
African American student admitted to the racially segregated 15
University of Mississippi after the intervention of the federal 16
government (an event that was a flashpoint in the Civil Rights 17
Movement); and 18
S. C. R. No. 527 *SS08/R1306* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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WHEREAS, Meredith completed 11th grade at Attala County 19
Training School (which was segregated under the state's Jim Crow 20
laws) and completed 12th grade at Gibbs High School in St. 21
Petersburg, Florida, in 1951. Meredith then enlisted in the 22
United States Air Force. He served from 1951 to 1960. Afterward, 23
Meredith attended Jackson State University for two years; and 24
WHEREAS, inspired by President John F. Kennedy's inaugural 25
address, Meredith decided to exercise his constitutional rights 26
and apply to the University of Mississippi. His goal was to put 27
pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for 28
African Americans. The university's admission of Meredith ignited 29
the Ole Miss riot of 1962, where Meredith's life was threatened 30
and 31,000 American servicemen were required to quell the 31
violence, the largest ever invocation of the Insurrection Act of 32
1807. The day after the riots, on October 1, 1962, after federal 33
and state forces took control, Meredith became the first African 34
American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. 35
Meredith's admission is regarded as a pivotal movement in the 36
history of civil rights; and 37
WHEREAS, in 2002 and again in 2012, the University of 38
Mississippi led year-long series of events to celebrate the 40th 39
and 50th anniversaries of Meredith's integration of the 40
institution. He was among numerous speakers invited to the 41
campus, where a statue of him commemorates his role in 42
Mississippi's progress. In 2012, Meredith received the Harvard 43
S. C. R. No. 527 *SS08/R1306* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Paying tribute to the legacy of Mississippi
Civil Rights icon James Howard Meredith on
occasion of Lifetime Achievement Distinction.
Graduate School of Education "Medal for Education Impact" and was 44
the university's convocation speaker. Meredith said it was the 45
first award in 50 years he had accepted; and 46
WHEREAS, he is married to Dr. Judy Alsobrooks Meredith; and 47
WHEREAS, it is an honor to mark this milestone of a highly 48
independent Mississippian who demanded and received the 49
constitutional rights held by any American, and whose commitment 50
has made a lasting impact on our state: 51
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 52
MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That 53
we do hereby pay tribute to the legacy of Mississippi civil rights 54
icon James Howard Meredith on the occasion of his receipt of the 55
prestigious Lifetime Achievement Distinction at the Fourth Annual 56
Mississippi Pinnacle Awards and extend to Mr. Meredith and his 57
family our commendation for his impact on our state. 58
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 59
James Howard Meredith, forwarded to the Mississippi Civil Rights 60
Museum and made available to the Capitol Press Corps. 61