Bill Text: MS SC527 | 2026 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Paying tribute to the legacy of Mississippi Civil Rights icon James Howard Meredith on occasion of Lifetime Achievement Distinction.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2026-03-18 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC527 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2026-SC527-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) DuPree, England, Frazier, Hopson, Michel
Senate Concurrent Resolution 527
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LEGACY OF MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS ICON JAMES HOWARD MEREDITH ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RECEIPT OF THE PRESTIGIOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT DISTINCTION AT THE FOURTH ANNUAL MISSISSIPPI PINNACLE AWARDS.
WHEREAS, Mississippi civil rights advocate and the first African American student at Ole Miss, James Howard Meredith will receive the Lifetime Achievement Distinction at the 2026 Fourth Annual Mississippi Pinnacle Awards. The gala, hosted by Sales & Marketing Professionals, honors top Mississippi leaders, with this award recognizing a lifetime of Mr. Meredith's significant contributions; and
WHEREAS, James Howard Meredith was born June 25, 1933, and is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African American student admitted to the racially segregated University of Mississippi after the intervention of the federal government (an event that was a flashpoint in the Civil Rights Movement); and
WHEREAS, Meredith completed 11th grade at Attala County Training School (which was segregated under the state's Jim Crow laws) and completed 12th grade at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1951. Meredith then enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served from 1951 to 1960. Afterward, Meredith attended Jackson State University for two years; and
WHEREAS, inspired by President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, Meredith decided to exercise his constitutional rights and apply to the University of Mississippi. His goal was to put pressure on the Kennedy administration to enforce civil rights for African Americans. The university's admission of Meredith ignited the Ole Miss riot of 1962, where Meredith's life was threatened and 31,000 American servicemen were required to quell the violence, the largest ever invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1807. The day after the riots, on October 1, 1962, after federal and state forces took control, Meredith became the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. Meredith's admission is regarded as a pivotal movement in the history of civil rights; and
WHEREAS, in 2002 and again in 2012, the University of Mississippi led year-long series of events to celebrate the 40th and 50th anniversaries of Meredith's integration of the institution. He was among numerous speakers invited to the campus, where a statue of him commemorates his role in Mississippi's progress. In 2012, Meredith received the Harvard Graduate School of Education "Medal for Education Impact" and was the university's convocation speaker. Meredith said it was the first award in 50 years he had accepted; and
WHEREAS, he is married to Dr. Judy Alsobrooks Meredith; and
WHEREAS, it is an honor to mark this milestone of a highly independent Mississippian who demanded and received the constitutional rights held by any American, and whose commitment has made a lasting impact on our state:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby pay tribute to the legacy of Mississippi civil rights icon James Howard Meredith on the occasion of his receipt of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Distinction at the Fourth Annual Mississippi Pinnacle Awards and extend to Mr. Meredith and his family our commendation for his impact on our state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to James Howard Meredith, forwarded to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
