Statement of James J. Meredith

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- Press Releases
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- 06c4fb54-bd92-ee11-be37-6045bddb811f

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. Statement of James J. Meredith, 1963. 06c4fb54-bd92-ee11-be37-6045bddb811f. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/f79911ca-a92a-4b1c-bc9b-e60b51dbaf65/statement-of-james-j-meredith. Accessed November 23, 2025.

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    PRESS RELEASE@® * 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
TOCOLUMBUS CIRCLE + NEW YORK19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG 
President 

CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY 
Director-Counsel Associate Counsel 

Ss 

STATEMENT OF JAMES H, MEREDITH 

January 30, 1963 

I notified everyone concerned that I would announce my decision 

at this time for two reasons. First, newsmen from every area of the 

news services had requested that they be given sufficient notifica- 

tion so that they could be present if they so desired. Secondly, I 

have found in the past that by not givino such notification, I have 

had to spend too much time answering the same questions for each 

individual newsman. Therefore, it was suggested by many of them that 

this procedure would be more advantageous both to them and to me. 

It ig a great tragedy for America that whether a student will 

attend a University has become a big news item. For the past several 

days, I have pondered this question. I have, in various ways, been 

informed of the feelings and opinions of most of the people in this 

country, and many throughout the world regarding this question. 

After listening to all arguments, evaluations and positions, and 

weighing all this against my personal possibilities and circumstances, 

I have concluded that the "Negro" should not return to the University 

of Mississippi. The prospects for him are too unpromising. However, 

I have decided that I, J. H, Meredith, will register for the second 

semester at the University of Mississippi. 

Many things have taken place in recent months, and I see signs 

that give me hope that I will be able to go to school in the future, 

under adequate, if not ideal, conditions. 

I want to thank the people of the United States of America for 

their support. With so many of our citizens genuinely concerned with 

this grave racial probkm we are bound to find an adequate solution. 

I also want to thank the many people throughout the world who have 

shown such a great interest in the struggle of men for the equality 

of opportunities. 

HHHHH

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Statement of James J. Meredith

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