An oral history project by the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation on the integration of the University of Mississippi School of Law and the University Medical Center. From 2006-2009, the Winter Institute conducted an oral history project about these integrations and the people behind them.
The Start of the Path: In 1965, Aaron Shirley became the first African American resident at the University Medical Center (UMC), the state's only medical school, in Jackson. In 1967, Reuben Anderson became the first African American graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Behind the integration of the UM professional schools were two men in positions of leadership who took an unusual stand to open doors for black students: Dr. Blair Batson at UMC, who welcomed Dr. Shirley, and Dean Joshua Morse, who recruited Mr. Anderson and other African American students. The two leaders, both from Poplarville, Mississippi, grew up near each other, and their mothers were close friends.
See also:
- Open Doors Oral History Collection, about the integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962
- Robert F. Kennedy Speech Collection, about Sen. Kennedy's visit to the UM Law School on March 18, 1966