Overview

Clyde Kennard (1927–1963) was a determined and soft-spoken man whose fight to enroll at Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi) in the 1950s highlighted the broader struggle for racial equality in education. Kennard’s efforts to desegregate higher education remain lesser known, but his impact on the movement for educational equality is undeniable. A veteran of the Korean War, Kennard’s desire to further his education led him to challenge the status quo, writing editorials in the Hattiesburg American in which he argued that educating people together, regardless of race, was essential for societal progress. His courageous stand against segregation subjected him to false arrests, imprisonment, and ultimately, his untimely death in 1963 without completing his degree. However, Kennard’s legacy persists as a symbol of the broader civil rights struggle, emphasizing the necessity of grassroots action in advancing justice. Through archival research and interdisciplinary analysis, Mixing: Race, Higher Education, and the Case of Clyde Kennard by Sherita L. Johnson, Cheryl D. Jenkins, Loren Saxton Coleman, and Rebecca A. Tuuri unearths Kennard’s story, examining his activism and contributions within the context of systemic racism and the fight for desegregation in higher education. This volume draws from periodicals, court documents, and student publications to recover Kennard’s case from the shadows of history. It emphasizes his efforts to empower African Americans and create lasting social change. Each chapter offers a unique perspective on Kennard’s life and legacy, particularly his influence on the Hattiesburg community and on students at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mixing is both a tribute to Kennard’s enduring fight for justice and a call to continue conversations about race, education, and social equity today.

Full Product Details

9781496859853

Table of Contents

Reviews

""A greater impression of Clyde Kennard and his contributions is essential to fully understanding the civil rights movement. The contributors to this volume present Kennard as a vital player within the movement through an analysis of his writings, his sacrifices, and his legacy. The students he still touches at USM in the nearly sixty years since it integrated are a testament to that legacy—made abundantly clear in this volume."" - Devery S. Anderson, author of A Slow, Calculated Lynching: The Story of Clyde Kennard

Author Information

Sherita L. Johnson is director of the College of Liberal Arts’ Africana Research Center and associate professor of English at Pennsylvania State University. She is author of Black Women in New South Literature and Culture. Cheryl D. Jenkins is chair of the Mass Media Studies Department and associate professor in the School of Humanities and Fine Arts at Talladega College. She is coauthor of Race and News: Critical Perspectives. Loren Saxton Coleman is assistant professor and director of graduate studies in the Communication, Culture and Media Studies Department in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University. She is coeditor of Media, Myth, and Millennials: Critical Perspectives on Race and Culture. Rebecca A. Tuuri is associate professor of history and associate dean of the Honors College at the University of Southern Mississippi. She is author of Strategic Sisterhood: The National Council of Negro Women in the Black Freedom Struggle, which won the Julia Cherry Spruill Prize from the Southern Association of Women Historians.

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