(25426) Civil Rights, Demonstrations, "Meredith March Against Fear," Mississippi, 1966

Members of the Detroit NAACP carry a banner as the “Meredith March Against Fear” makes its way into Jackson, Mississippi. Walter Reuther, president of the United Automobile Workers, stands at left.

The Meredith March Against Fear takes its name from James Meredith, the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi and a student at Columbia Law School, who organized a 220 mile long walk from Memphis, TN to Jackson MS to encourage African Americans to register to vote. On June 6, the second day of the walk, he reached Hernado, MS and was shot in the back by a sniper. Upon hearing of the assault, civil rights campaigners from across the country rushed to Mississippi to finish the march in his name.