The observing and determined look on James Meredith’s face is the same today as in that famous photo taken of him in 1962, when he was the first African-American to seek enrollment at the University of Mississippi. Sitting in a comfortable armchair at the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene Friday afternoon, Meredith was exquisitely dressed in a cream suit nearly the same color as the straw hat he wore. He spoke about race relations and his experiences prior to addressing a forum at North Idaho College. Meredith came to North Idaho to share his life story of fighting for civil rights while facing intense bigotry and oppression in the segregated South of the ’50s and ’60s. “Fifty years ago I used Ole Miss to teach the world a lesson,” Meredith said. “Now I plan on using Mississippi to teach Idaho a lesson”/Pia Hallenberg, SR. More here.

Question: Do you know much about the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s?