The response by University of Mississippi administrators and the school’s alumni association to the vandalism of a statue of James Meredith, who integrated Ole Miss in 1962, shows they will not tolerate attempts to derail the progress made toward tolerance and inclusiveness.
Last weekend, Meredith’s statue was draped with a noose and an old Georgia state flag. Two men were seen near the statue early Sunday and campus police are checking video surveillance footage of the area around the statue to see if they can identify the culprits.
The university’s alumni association, responding to a request from Chancellor Dan Jones, has offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the individuals involved. The alumni’s quick response shows Ole Miss graduates are just as concerned about maintaining the university’s continuing efforts to make the campus a model for diversity and inclusiveness.
The violence that rocked the campus when Meredith became the first African-American to enroll there left the school with a racist legacy it is clearly determined to leave behind forever. Incidents like what happened with the statue and a racially charged protest by a group of students the night President Barack Obama won re-election in 2012 have been glitches in that effort.
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