Talk:James Meredith

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This month is the 40th anniversary of Meredith's enrollment at the previously all-white Ole Miss. I daresay he was even more heroic than Rosa Parks. --Ed Poor

I eliminated the link to abebooks - it just goes to a search screen for a commercial book vendor. Also, I was not really sure what the following phrase was really supposed to mean:

James Meredith was not a part of the civil rights movement; just a private citizen who believed he had the same entitlements as any other citizen. - If it means that his enrollment was not a part of the civil rights movement, then the statement is wrong - just based on the sources cited in the article & private citizens wanting the rights of any other citizen is a fair definition of civil rights. The statement that he was one of the first black soldiers after integration was confusing - i don't believe that the military was actually desegregated unitl 1954, when the last black unit was dissolved - the process was actually began in 1948 with Truman's EO 9981. Would a statement that he was in the military while the desegregation of the military units was underway be material to the article? bob I replaced the link to ABEbooks because this book is quite difficult to find and if it is available to buy at all you might find it there (and failure to locate a copy will sent you to WorldCat.

  • James Meredith was not a part of the civil rights movement; just a private citizen who believed he had the same entitlements as any other citizen. -
  • If it means that his enrollment was not a part of the civil rights movement, then the statement is wrong - just based on the sources cited in the article & private citizens wanting the rights of any other citizen is a fair definition of civil rights.

I replaced this with an equivalent paragraph later in the article. Mr. Meridith's attitudes are well known and expressed frequently in interviews as is the mutually disrespectful attitude of civil rights leaders that he "suffers from psychological problems." As to his action being part of the civil rights movement, at no time, to my knowledge has James Meredith ever belonged to a civil rights organization, done their bidding, or been extended respect by them. That his actions extended civil rights is obvious. User:Fredbauder

I agree wholeheartedly with your statement - certainly, Mr. Meredith's relationship with various civil rights leaders has been rocky - & the paragraph above would be an excellent addition to the article - but I'm not sure that's what the first paragraph said & I was unclear as to what exactly what was meant -

I don't have any real heartburn with the abebooks link - I use them myself - but I haven't found the book difficult to find at all (WorldCat says its in 1291 libraries - including 16 in Colorado)

I'll be adding bits & pieces to the page as time permits & look forward to your review.

bob

Does anyone know what happenned between 1968 and 2002? It seems like there's likely to be some information there somewhere.... -FZ 14:12, 18 Aug 2004 (UTC)

He lived in New York, made some money working on Wall Street, and then got into trouble as a slumlord when he was the landlord for a lot of low end apartments. Morris 13:27, Mar 30, 2005 (UTC)

_____ ==ed It seems to me entry is more of a memoir than a history article. Consider revising...

Contents

[edit] education

he was admitted into ole miss on 1 october 1962, and he graduated in just ten months? (18 august 1963) i think this needs some elaboration. (Phobal 17:58, 20 October 2007 (UTC))

[edit] I'm thinking of adding more details about the events

of the days in the fall of 1962 when he actually arrived at the University of Mississippi, and maybe more on his litigation that led up to that. Morris 13:23, Mar 30, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Civil Rights Activist?

I agree with what has been said, that he made significant progress for civil right. Although, I read that he never regarded himself, nor wanted to be regarded, as a civil rights activist.

some people seek to be great... others have greatness thrust upon them

[edit] Links

The external links at the bottom of the article need updating as many of them do not work.

[edit] Comments from Brian1978

I edited the uncited information on James Meredith concerning his political affiliation and allege employment for a conservatie southern senator from NC. This information should be included unless it can be cited. I believe it was included to insult the reputation of Mr. Meredith who is truly an American hero for democracy and human rights. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.213.67.10 (talk)

I confirmed that James Meredith worked for conservative southern senator Jessie Helms on the Eyes on the Prize website under the people section. It greatly increases the complexity of Meredith and his historical journey through life. He went from a committed civil rights activist to working for a senator who a large number of citizens feels was a racist. However, other comments on the site that cannot be supported by documentary evidence should not be included. And Meredith should be applauded for his courage as a young man at the Univ. of Mississipi and during the March Against Fear. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Brian1978 (talk • contribs)
As well The citation that I removed concerning Meredith quote from CNN concerning Rober Kennedy cannot be found in the document. I think their should be a agreed upon citation format. ALA or APA that should be used. Please do not alter the page unless you can properly and clearly cite textual evidence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Brian1978 (talk • contribs)

[edit] When I met james by ECL

I had the privelege of meeting James in 2001. I drove from Maine to Jackson Miss for the sole purpose of meeting such a great figure in US history. He ran a small car sales shopa couple of blocks from the State Capital Building. He was gentle and kind. He accepted me and we spoke for hours. We went to dinner at a nearby restaurant and he confirmed what others have written - that he emphatically does not consider himself part of the civil rights movement, in fact he resented the movement to some degree. He feels very strongly he has fought many years to retain his rightful position as the leader of a native american tribe. He has written a series of books on his native american heritage which he sells privately.

James, in my view, was far more a hero than Rosa Parks. Rosa took to her bus with a pre-organized army of northern lawyers and prominent people to help her when the inevitable occurred. James, by contrast, simply acted, selflessly, with purpose, and courage not often seen today. Chris L'Hommedieu, Lewiston ME



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[edit] Comments moved from article

There are some inconsistencies between this page and the American Civil Rights Movement page.

Would someone kindly take the time to review these errors, as I believe that someone may have maliciously modified facts, as the bottom of this page had nothing to do with the article’s primary topic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.227.221.65 (talk)

[edit] Problem

Am I the only one who thinks that there is something wrong with the paragraph? Gridge 23:41, 18 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Biography assessment rating comment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. --KenWalker | Talk 02:50, 29 June 2007 (UTC)