MS SC527

James Howard Meredith, born June 25, 1933, is being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Distinction at the Fourth Annual Mississippi Pinnacle Awards hosted by Sales & Marketing Professionals.

Meredith became the first African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi on October 1, 1962, after federal intervention that required 31,000 American servicemen to quell rioting—the largest invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1807.

Meredith served in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1960, attended Jackson State University, and applied to Ole Miss after being inspired by President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address.

The University of Mississippi has commemorated his integration with 40th and 50th anniversary celebrations and a statue on campus; in 2012, he received Harvard Graduate School of Education's "Medal for Education Impact."

The resolution directs that a copy be presented to James Howard Meredith, forwarded to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.