Celebrating Black History

This February, the University of Mississippi plans to celebrate Black History Month by celebrating 50 years of integration.

There are several things to celebrate during Black History Month. Not only should we celebrate the achievements of the strong people who fought for their rights, but we should also celebrate the steps they took to overcome their hardships.

“African Americans have fought since 1619 and we need to celebrate the agency and resistance, the ways they fought and when they began to understand themselves,” said Assistant Professor of African American Studies and History, Dr. Maurice Hobson.

Ole Miss has been integrated for 50 years since the admittance of the first African American student, James Meredith in 1962. James Meredith's admittance into the university was a significant moment in American history.

“African Americans struggled by means of ways to educate themselves. They want to manifest themselves in different ways. Their education must be celebrated,” said Dr. Hobson.

This February, Black History Month at Ole Miss will be a celebration of the integration started by James Meredith.

“We should celebrate their achievements. African Americans have fought and achieved so much but what they strove to the most was to prove that they are significant,” said Dr. Hobson.

There are several heroes to be celebrate during Black History Month such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Meredith, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois. These individuals fought for the rights of others, but there are other heroes among us.

“My work has helped me understand some of the challenges that confront people of color and poor people, including poor whites. My heroes are people like the custodians and the maintenance workers and landscapers at Ole Miss--people who manage to hold their families together and provide for their children despite significant obstacles. Those are the people I celebrate during Black History Month,” said Assistant Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, Dr. Kirk Johnson.

Ole Miss plans to raise awareness for Black History Month by having guest speakers and brown bag lunches on campus. Marian Wright Edelman, who is the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, will be speaking Feb. 21. Edelman graduated from Yale Law School and became the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar and was a part of the NAACP in Jackson.