Oral Histories from Black Power at Ole Miss

On February 24 and 25, 2020, during the “Black Power at Ole Miss” event commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of protests, arrests, and expulsions of Black student activists at the University of Mississippi, interviewers and filmmakers recorded oral histories with eight of the former students—Lawrence Anderson, Marjorie Crawford, Emmitt Jones, Edward Scott, Linnie Liggins Willis, Archie Jones, and James Donald—and the lawyer who represented them, John C. Brittain. The interviews include descriptions of life in Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s; the Civil Rights Movement; Jim Crow segregation; desegregation; campus climate and racism at the University of Mississippi; student activism; the Black Student Union; the Up with People protest; police and state violence and surveillance; Parchman Prison; the Vietnam War; Black Power; legal aid; and reparations, among other topics. Before and after interviews, interviewees participated in a series of events commemorating their activism, including an evening ceremony that included a staged reading of the student conduct hearings, a panel reflecting on their activism, and a ceremony in front of Fulton Chapel, the site where the protest and arrests occurred on February 25, 1970.

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Anderson, Lawrence

Lawrence Anderson Jr. and Keon Burns

In 1970 at Ole Miss, Anderson was a sophomore engineering student. His roommate, Don Cole, was among the eight students expelled after the February 25th protest.
Brittain, John

John Brittain and Jasmine Stansberry

In 1970, John Brittain was a young attorney with the North Mississippi Rural Legal Services office. He represented the 81 students arrested after the February 25th protests, including the "Ole Miss Eight".
Crawford, Marjorie

Marjorie Ezel Crawford and Jasmine Stansberry

Though she had not participated in the February 25th protest due to a knee injury, Marjorie Crawford was among the other black students arrested that night at the Y-building.
Donald, James

James E. Donald and Brittany Brown

James Donald is the brother of Cleve Donald, the second African American to enroll at the University of Mississippi, and John Donald, one of the "Ole Miss Eight" to be expelled in 1970 after the Februrary 25th protest.
Evans, Theron

Theron Evans Jr. and Jasmine Stansberry

Theron Evans, cousin to John Donald of the "Ole Miss Eight", was a freshman student in 1970. After participating in the protest in front of Fulton Chapel, he was among the students arrested and taken to the State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Jones, Archie

Archie Jones and Keon Burns

After participating in the protest in front of Fulton Chapel, Archie Jones was among the students arrested and taken to the State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Jones, Emmitt

Emmitt Jones and Brittany Brown

Emmitt Jones had joined the Black Panthers over the summer in Chicago before coming to Ole Miss. He had participated in the burning of the Confederate flag and was among the students sent to the State Penitentiary at Parchman.
Scott, Ed

Edward Logan Scott III and Keon Burns

Ed Scott was among the students arrested after the protest on February 25th, but was kept at the Lafayette County jail instead of being sent to Parchman.
Willis, Linnie Liggins

Linnie Liggins Willis and Brittany Brown

Linnie Liggins Willis, one of the "Ole Miss Eight", transferred to Ole Miss from Tougaloo College in 1967. She served as secretary for the Black Student Union when the "twenty-seven demands" were drafted. After her arrest on February 25, 1970, she was held at the Lafayette County jail.