"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
one mississippi
"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.
At the University of Mississippi, a segregationist chant and Ku Klux Klan rally threaten to divide the campus community, but student leaders and their chancellor take a stand against hate and intolerance. This story is part of the Not In Our Town program, Class Actions, that aired on PBS stations in February 2012. Many conflicts over the legacy of slavery and the Confederacy have occurred since this program was produced. This story profiles action led by students and supported by the University's Chancellor to involve the whole campus in standing up to racism and hate.
A chant with a racist history
Here you will find extended or extra scenes from our film, Class Actions.
Web Video Extras:
One Mississippi: Creating Dialogue On Campus
From Dialogue to Action: Bloomington Unity in the Community Responds to KKK Flyers
Lauri Massari: How We Started Not In Our School
Dr. Donald Cole: An Ole Miss Legacy
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.
From Dialogue to Action: Bloomington Unity in the Community Responds to KKK Flyers
After Ku Klux Klan flyers blanket an Indiana University campus neighborhood, Rabbi Sue Silberberg leads Bloomington United as they plan a community response.