On this day in 1962

Sept. 29, 1962

Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett spoke at halftime of the University of Mississippi’s game against Kentucky. Barnett whipped up the all-white crowd, which some compared to a Nazi rally in Nuremberg. While Confederate battle flags waved defiantly, Barnett told the crowd of more than 40,000 gathered, “I love Mississippi. I love her people. Our customs. I love and respect our heritage.”

The next day, an insurrection took place on the Ole Miss campus after the admission of James Meredith, the first known Black student to attend.

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