Fulton Chapel

Although not being one of the most talked-about buildings on campus, Fulton Chapel has a rich historical past and a strong connection to events on campus. One of the most monumental events to happen in front of Fulton Chapel was the protest of 1970. On February 24th, 1970, over sixty students from the Black Student Union ("B.S.U.") protested the treatment of African-American students at the university after an "Up With The People" concert at Fulton Chapel. There had been numerous peaceful protests held by the B.S.U. on campus before the events of 1970. After a year of peaceful protests, the B.S.U. had enough with the administration's lack of effort to meet student's demands for a more integrated and accepting campus community. Multiple students from the B.S.U. began the protest at the student union, to the right of Fulton Chapel. A list of "27 Demands" was created by the B.S.U. and presented to the then chancellor, Porter L.Fortune Jr.. These demands included more representation and inclusion on campus, more scholarships for Black students, eliminating Confederate imagery at official university gatherings, and more. After peacefully presenting the chancellor with these demands at his university home, the students realized the Mississippi Highway Patrol rifles were pointed at them across the street in the third-floor windows of Farley Hall. After saying a few more words, the protesters dispersed and headed to the "Up With the People" concert. 

As the doors opened into Fulton Chapel, members of the B.S.U. chanted "What you gonna do?' Do it to 'em." heading down the aisles and onto the stage. The protests leader, John Donald, grabbed a microphone and began to speak to the people. The control board immediately shut off Donald's microphone along with other microphones in the building as other protesters scrambled to have their rights heard. Tension consumed the chapel as the "Up With the People'' singers continued to sing and abruptly responded to the B.S.U. by asking, "What Color Is God's Skin?". Protesters remained peaceful and quickly responded to the "Up With the People'' question with, "He sho' ain't white." Shortly after, sixty to seventy Highway Patrol vehicles surrounded the chapel. News of the Highway Patrol's arrival reached the protesters and spread through campus fast. Only 48 protesters had taken the stage but, multitudes of Black students throughout campus rushed to Fulton Chapel to show their support. 

The protests ended with around eighty-nine students being arrested. Sixty-one of those arrests happened right outside Fulton chapel while other Black students, not involved with the protests, were arrested around campus. Around half-a-dozen Black students were suspended for a year while most students arrested, including Donald, were sent to the local jail. Some students arrested were even sent to Parchman, the state's maximum-security prison. Shortly after the University’s decision, an editor for "The Daily Mississippian" published and pointed out the unfair treatment and punishment faced by the Black students in comparison to the rarely punished white students. A letter signed by dozens of white students and former football star student Frank Trapp pleaded with the administration to be more moderate, understanding, and equal. 

During the 50th anniversary commemorating the 1970 protests, five of the eight students suspended returned to the University of Mississippi. Some of the former students finally received their well-deserved and long-awaited diplomas, while others like Mayfield and Theron Evans returned to the school to feel “some sense of “closure.”[1]. 

[1] Eubanks, W. Ralpha. “The Unhealed Wounds Of A Mass Arrest Of Black Students At Ole Miss, Fifty Years Later.” New Yorker, New Yorker, 23 February 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-unhealed-wounds-of-a-mass-arrest-of-Black-students-at-ole-miss-fifty-years-later.