wfn.org | Episcopalians: "Open Doors" recalls Episcopal presence at Ole Miss riots

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

October 17, 2002

2002-239

Episcopalians: "Open Doors" recalls Episcopal presence at Ole 
Miss riots

by Lauren Wilkes Auttonberry

(ENS) Forty years ago, in Oxford, Mississippi, two very 
different men came face-to-face on the lawn in front of the 
Lyceum Building on the campus of the University of Mississippi.

One was an imposing Texan, retired U.S. Army Major General Edwin 
Walker. The other was a thoughtful, peace-loving priest, the 
Rev. Duncan M. Gray, Jr.  Both Episcopalians found themselves at 
odds over an event that would prove pivotal for the 
university--and for the entire country.

On that evening, September 30, 1962, Air Force veteran James 
Meredith was escorted to the Ole Miss campus under military 
protection so that he might complete his enrollment as the first 
African-American ever admitted to the prestigious institution. 

A night of anguish

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that Meredith must be 
admitted brought national attention to emotions surrounding a 
generation of intense hatred and misunderstanding. Hysterical 
rioters--students, community members and passionate racial 
separatists--amassed in front of the Lyceum in protest. The 
presence and fiery exhortations of Walker prodded them to 
madness. 

At the same time, Gray, then rector of St. Peter's Episcopal 
Church in Oxford, and the Rev. Wofford Smith, Episcopal chaplain 
to the university, cautiously circled the grounds, calmly 
confronting individuals and small groups and convincing numerous 
participants to give up their bricks, bottles and rocks. The two 
even helped usher the confused and wounded to the safety of the 
nearby YMCA building. 

Although Gray and Smith offered a calming presence in contrast 
to the riots, before the evening was over, Gray would be 
ridiculed, threatened and even beaten by members of the 
impassioned crowd. Before the night ended, two men were dead and 
hundreds were injured. Federal troops occupied the campus until 
Meredith graduated the following May.

A long way to go

 On September 30, 2002, Gray, who served as bishop of the 
Diocese of Mississippi from 1974-1993, spoke at a public service 
of Evening Prayer at St. Peter's. More than 140 people, 
including current and former students, faculty and community 
members, attended the service and the reception which followed. 
The gathering, exactly forty years after the 1962 riots, helped 
mark a day of commemoration and reflection as the University of 
Mississippi began a year-long observation entitled "Open Doors: 
Building on 40 Years of Opportunity in Higher Education." 

Gray also was one of four speakers featured during a day of 
reunions and other events Oct. 1. He participated in a dinner on 
the grounds of the university featuring a gospel music program, 
a candle-lighting ceremony and a symbolic walk through the 
Lyceum from the grounds where the riots occurred. 

Gray talked about his experiences in 1962, about having the 
courage to do the right thing, and he expressed optimism about 
the university's future and its recognition of the importance of 
accessibility by everyone. Although the University and the 
Diocese of Mississippi have come a long way, Gray said there is 
still, "a long way to go." "The fact remains, so far from 1962, 
that those who have lived through that era, are thankful for the 
important, special effort of the university administration to 
really work on racial reconciliation; a concerted and conscious 
effort to build a diverse student body and faculty. The 
symbolism of the fortieth anniversary and of Meredith's 
recognition is something -- if not to celebrate -- then to give 
thanks about. The observance is to focus not so much on what's 
already been done, but on what still needs to be done."

Year-long observance

During his campus visit, Gray also met Robert Smith, the 
former chaplain's son, who had come to Oxford for some personal 
reconciliation and closure on the difficulties and 
disappointments experienced by his father. Smith later said he 
had found some.

Gray's remarks preceded an address by Myrlie Evers-Williams, 
widow of Medgar Evers, the Mississippi state field secretary for 
the NAACP who was instrumental in Meredith's admission to the 
university. Evers was assassinated by white supremacist Byron De 
La Beckwith in 1963.

Open Doors activities continue through September 2003, when 
the university hosts an international conference on race. A 
privately-funded memorial to the racial integration of higher 
education, designed by New York artist Terry Adkins, will be 
dedicated April 5.

------

--Lauren Wilkes Auttonberry is Coordinator of Communications for 
the Diocese of Mississippi and Editor of The Mississippi 
Episcopalian.