<P> James Howard Meredith ( born June 25 , 1933 ) is a Civil Rights Movement figure , writer , political adviser and Air Force veteran . In 1962 , he became the first African - American student admitted to the segregated University of Mississippi , after the intervention of the federal government , an event that was a flashpoint in the Civil Rights Movement . 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 . </P>
<P> James Howard Meredith ( born June 25 , 1933 ) is a Civil Rights Movement figure , writer , political adviser and Air Force veteran . In 1962 , he became the first African - American student admitted to the segregated University of Mississippi , after the intervention of the federal government , an event that was a flashpoint in the Civil Rights Movement . 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 . </P>
who was the first black student admitted to the university of mississippi
who was the first black student admitted to the university of mississippi
James Howard Meredith
James Howard Meredith