On August 18, 1963, James Meredith graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in political science.
It was a long road getting there. As an African-American, he had been denied admission twice. He had served in the Air Force for nine years previous to entering college. He had to sue the school to be admitted, making it to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Having been admitted over the objections of the school, riots erupted when Meredith first arrived on campus, accompanied by federal marshals. Army units were called in to quell the riots. Meredith was escorted by a military guard the next day when he started attending classes.
After two semesters of harassment, Meredith graduated (he had attended another college prior to his tranfer to Ol' Miss). He went on to earn an LLB from Columbia Law School. Some of Meredith's occupations included stockbroker and aide to Senator Jesse Helms.
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