SOCIAL ACTIVIST

James Meredith

1933 - Today

Photo of James Meredith

Icon of person James Meredith

James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the racially 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. The admission of Meredith ignited the Ole Miss riot of 1962 where Meredith's life was threatened and 31,000 American servicemen were required to quell the violence – the largest ever invocation of the Insurrection Act of 1807. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. James Meredith is the 620th most popular social activist (down from 582nd in 2019), the 10,839th most popular biography from United States (down from 9,478th in 2019) and the 94th most popular American Social Activist.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of James Meredith by language

Loading...

Among SOCIAL ACTIVISTS

Among social activists, James Meredith ranks 620 out of 840Before him are Usha Mehta, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Barbara Bush, Marguerite Higgins, Oinikhol Bobonazarova, and Yolanda King. After him are Razan Zaitouneh, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, Albertina Sisulu, Lepa Mladjenovic, Aaron Swartz, and Octavia Hill.

Most Popular Social Activists in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1933, James Meredith ranks 491Before him are Mariya Pisareva, Jerry Pournelle, Gurdial Singh, Jenő Hámori, Umberto Colombo, and Hillevi Rombin. After him are Boris Tatushin, Renato Pirocchi, Johnny Unitas, Peter Orlovsky, Sheila Hancock, and Daniel Massey.

Others Born in 1933

Go to all Rankings

In United States

Among people born in United States, James Meredith ranks 10,841 out of 20,380Before him are Hugh Howey (1975), Francis Hopkinson (1737), Kenneth Burke (1897), G. William Miller (1925), Wayne Static (1965), and Bob Bryan (1978). After him are Larry Kramer (1935), Gretchen Mol (1972), Millie Hughes-Fulford (1945), Doc Watson (1923), Norman Dello Joio (1913), and Zebulon Pike (1779).

Among SOCIAL ACTIVISTS In United States

Among social activists born in United States, James Meredith ranks 94Before him are Mamie Till (1921), Sylvia Rivera (1951), Martin Luther King III (1957), Dolores Huerta (1930), Barbara Bush (1981), and Yolanda King (1955). After him are Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt (1861), Aaron Swartz (1986), Norma McCorvey (1947), Angelina Grimké (1805), Jake Angeli (1988), and Alva Belmont (1853).