Second Negro Admitted to University of Mississippi
Press Release
May 29, 1963

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. Second Negro Admitted to University of Mississippi, 1963. d56c6336-bd92-ee11-be37-6045bddb811f. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/0c75b129-bc55-4d84-b975-7ddd5a66e921/second-negro-admitted-to-university-of-mississippi. Accessed July 13, 2025.
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PRESS RELEASE @ a ) NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 10 COLUMBUS CIRCLE «+ NEW YORK19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY President Director-Counsel Associate Counsel oS SECOND NEGRO ADMITTED TO UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI May 29, 1963 New York — N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund attorneys won admission to the University of Mississippi for a second Negro student this week. Cleve McDowell, 21, won the right to enter the university's law school for the summer semester beginning June 5th when District Court Judge Sidney Mize issued on May 28th a Temporary Restraining Order against the Board of Trustees of state universities and the Registrar and Chancellor of the university. Attorneys Constance Baker Motley and Derrick Bell filed suit before Judge Mize yesterday, The judge issued the restraining order in open court. He set a hearing on a Preliminary Injunction in the case for June 3rd. Mr. McDowell had applied to law school last fall and was report- edly accepted by law school officials without the formal filing of case. His scholastic record at Jackson State College, from which he craduated this week, is excellent. The suit became necessary when the Board of Trustees voted to reject McDowell's application because of campus "unrest." Judge Mize said in issuing his order “in every respect, he has been shown to be qualified." Mr. McDowell is a close friend of James Meredith, who hopes to complete his work at the university this summer. Mrs. Motley on May 28th also asked Judge Mize for an order requiring the university to grant Mr. Meredith married-student quarters for the summer term so that this wife and son can join him. Judge Mize set June 3rd as the date for a hearing on this motion,