Reflections of James Meredith
Civil Rights legend James Meredith received the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s highest honor during the School’s convocation when outgoing Dean Kathleen McCartney awarded him the Medal for Education Impact. The honor, said McCartney, is given to those who have had a “transformative effect on the education sector.” In addition to his groundbreaking Civil Rights work, Meredith has committed his life to improving public education, having become a “passionate advocate” for initiatives such as evidence-based reform, the expansion of early childhood education programs, and supporting teachers who work in the nation’s poorest public schools. Meredith’s attire, a bright red University of Mississippi shirt and hat, offered the audience a clue to his famous past. In 1962 he entered the university as its first African-American student. Initially rejected by “Ole Miss,” Meredith had filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming he had been discriminated against on account of his race. The U.S. Supreme...