Bowling Green Community Stands Together Against Racist Tweets, Again
university of mississippi
Ole Miss Students Hold Vigil After Election Night Protests
Last week, University of Mississippi students stood up to another divisive protest. On Election Night, after the re-election of President Barack Obama, more than 400 students gathered to protest, yell racial epithets and burn an Obama campaign sign.
Chancellor Dan Jones quickly denounced the protests, saying students and faculty of the university were “ashamed” of the actions of a few of their peers. The following day, student group One Mississippi gathered about 700 students at a candlelight vigil, where they read the university’s creed to “respect the dignity of each person.” It was the same counter tactic they used when the Ku Klux Klan protested in support of the controversial chant—“the South will rise again”—sung at university football games in 2009.
Check out video of the vigil on Vimeo.
"We were at a football game where everyone is cheering and the spirits are fairly high and these words began to echo. So what's the meaning of those words? How do I interpret those words? How do I feel about those particular words, 'The South will rise again'?
I'm a Southerner, Daddy was a Southerner, my Granddaddy, etc. And of course, the South in its heyday had individuals likened to me in slavery type of conditions."
—Dr. Donald Cole, University of Mississippi
Watch Dr. Cole: Ole Miss Legacy
University of Mississippi Assistant Provost Dr. Donald Cole shares his point of view on "The South Will Rise Again," chant and other traditions associated with segregation. After attending Ole Miss in 1968, Dr. Cole was soon expelled for his civil rights activity on campus. He now serves as an advisor to the chancellor.
Also available: Transcript of the extended interview
"Sshh, the University of Mississippi is being integrated," they said, and I remember glancing at the television set and seeing mean faces. I remember very, very angry people, and I simply remember saying to myself, "I would never go to a place like that.”
—Dr. Donald Cole, Assistant Provost, University of Mississippi, on learning about the integration of the university in 1962.
Here is an extended transcript of Not In Our Town's interview with Dr. Donald Cole, Assistant Provost, University of Mississippi. Watch snippets of this interview in the Class Actions web extra, "Dr. Cole: Ole Miss Legacy."
"My hope is progress because with all the things that we’ve done with One Mississippi—like we took a stand against the KKK when they came and the chant, and we’re trying to change the way people think about Ole Miss—I hope we continue to do the right thing."
—University of Mississippi student, One Mississippi
Watch "One Mississippi: Creating Dialogue on Campus"
Leaders of One Mississippi, a student group devoted to bridging racial and social barriers at the University of Mississippi, bring students together for a dialogue meeting about their hopes and fears for the organization.
One Mississippi member Taylor McGraw and University of Mississippi
Chancellor Dan Jones discuss race relations and the KKK's visit at 'Ole
Miss.' Photo Courtesy of Ben Guest.
Last week, the Friends of Mississippi Public Broadcasting organized an advanced screening of Not In Our Town: Class Actions, a 30-minute documentary film which will debut on PBS stations on February 13.
The University of Mississippi gained national attention following a divisive debate over a pre-football game chant in the fall of 2009. The fight song's references to segregation and the Confederate South stirred racial tensions among the student body, prompting several student leaders to speak up against hate.
The Jan. 31 screening was followed by a panel discussion in the University's Overby Center, led by a group of panelists that inlcuded One Mississippi members Taylor McGraw and Toran Dean, the student leaders who are featured in the film for helping their campus unite after it was targeted for a hate rally by the Ku Klax Klan.