We also came to understand that such symbols should remind us of our continuing responsibilities, should remind us to be ever vigilant.” Those initial students sought support from the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association, a collaboration that led to the formation of a multiracial, student-led group that identified funds and raised awareness of the need for a memorial.

The Civil Rights Commemoration Initiative, as the group came to be known, worked to commission an artwork to honor those who struggled for and achieved equal access to educational opportunities in Mississippi. Over the past seven years, the group raised an initial budget of $150,000. Individuals from local and campus communities, as well as supporters from across the region, have contributed to the project. Alumni P. D. Fyke and Dr. Watt Bishop made generous contributions. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the students an early and important planning grant. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, and University of Mississippi’s fraternities and sororities contributed significant monetary support.

This past spring, after an open, national competition, a five-member jury selected five finalists from among 120 applications. In April, the jury chose the design of artist Terry Adkins, a Virginia native based in Brooklyn, New York. His works have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, as well as the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. “This permanent work of art,”Adkins wrote in his memorial proposal, “should be a monument that commemorates the past, witnesses the present, and anticipates the future.”
Adkins proposed a memorial with 19-foot archways
anchoring 11-foot glass doors. Etched in the glass will be the image of the state of Mississippi, with each of its 82 counties. Phrases that evoke the courage of the civil rights movement, such as “Teach No More in Fear” and “Unite No More in Fear,” will be on each door. Crowning the doors will be two linked phrases, encompassing hopes for the future and the responsibilities of the present: “Freedom Forevermore” and “Justice Henceforth.”

The artwork will rest on the circular green space in the open plaza between the Lyceum and the J. D. Williams Library. Near the same spot 40 years ago, James Meredith persevered against the odds to be admitted as the first black student at the University.

With this in mind, Adkins posits that the memorial should function as “a site of pilgrimage, a spiritual epicenter, and a nourishing retreat for a renewed dedication to the everlasting ideals that fuel the ongoing struggle for justice.”
The site will be dedicated during a University ceremony on October 1, 2002, marking the first day of the University’s integration 40 years ago and commencing a year-long observance of the importance of those efforts. The memorial will be installed in April 2003.

The organizers hope the memorial will foster awareness about the struggle for civil rights in Mississippi and throughout the nation. What is more, the organizers believe that it is important for viewers of the memorial to ponder their role, not only in the struggle for equal opportunity in education but also in working to improve race relations as a whole.

The memorial provides the impetus to reflect upon and recognize the accomplishments of movement participants and the impact those efforts had upon our everyday lives. The memorial is a symbol of the University’s progress and its continuing responsibilities for insuring educational opportunity.

“Much of the history of the United States has been played out on the University of Mississippi campus,” Chancellor Robert C. Khayat noted. “During the latter half of the 20th century, the civil rights movement was at the center of the national discussion of important social, political, cultural, and economic issues. The unique history of Ole Miss with respect to civil rights initiatives in higher education makes it most appropriate for permanent recognition of those activities.”

The idea behind the memorial was born in a Southern Studies classroom, but it would not have become a reality without the commitment of a diverse assemblage of individuals and organizations. Such broad-based support, from Greek students to University alumni, from civil rights activists to schoolchildren, speaks of the state’s growth. Project director and Center assistant director Susan Glisson observed, “The University has a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead the nation in dealing with race. The memorial signifies the University’s continued commitment to equal opportunity for all.”

Nash Molpus