Circle on Campus

Several protests have been held in the circle and called for the removal of the old Mississippi State flag and the Confederate monument as well. On October 24th, 2015, students and staff members gathered at the flagpole, demanding the removal of the flag due to its ties to slavery. The Student Body Senate along with two student led protest groups requested the removal of the state flag from the university's campus. Joining the protesters was Cornell William Brooks, the president, and chief executive officer for the NAACP. Along with Chancellor Morris Stocks, who stated the community of the University of Mississippi realized years ago, "the Confederate battle flag did not represent many of our core values, such as civility and respect for others"[1]. In 2015, a month after the murder of nine parishioners at the Charleston church shooting, the University removed the state flag from campus. Cornell William Brooks even congratulated students on their courage and success, " it is with confident voices and persistent action that the students, particularly the University of Mississippi student chapter of the NAACP, led the call for the flag to come down,” he said in a statement. “The lowering of the flag shows that the voices of today’s youth and leaders matter more than traditions and notions of heritage at Mississippi’s public universities." [2].

Following the lowering of the old Mississippi state flag, on February 22nd of 2019, hundreds of protesters gathered demanding the over 100-year-old Confederate Statue be moved. Two pro-confederate groups joined in a counter-protest, holding confederate symbols and chanting for the monument to stay up. Students responded by remaining peaceful and repeatedly chanting, "take it down!". The University of Mississippi had begun working on a plan to relocate the Confederate monument to the cemetery located on campus. Joshua Mannery, the university Associated Student Body President who is African-American pleaded for the statue's removal and state, “it sends the message that our university’s past, white supremacy and racist history is at the heart of our institution.”[3].

Student-led protests continued on campus and throughout the Oxford, Mississippi area. Following the death of George Floyd, on May 31st, 2020, the confederate monument was spray-painted with the words "spiritual genocide" accompanied by red handprints on either side of the statue. A Mississippi public school teacher who was a University of Mississippi graduate was later arrested and accused of vandalizing the statue. On May 27th the university's Chancellor, Glenn Boyce, released a statement in support of moving the confederate statue from the center of campus stating, "This is a time for change."[4]. On July 14th, 2020, the confederate monument was relocated to the Civil War cemetery, a more secluded area on campus. Previous plans to add headstones to the cemetery were criticized by students and staff and later abandoned. By June 18th, the state College Board approved the relocation plan for the monument. Arielle, Hudson, a Tunica, Mississippi native and the University of Mississippi's first African-American female Rhodes Scholar, was one of the many joyous people celebrating the statue's move and pleased to hear Boyce abandoned the headstone plan. Although, Hudson was disappointed that Boyce’s decision to abandon the headstone plan was only enforced after he was “pressured by hundreds of students, facility members and alumni.”[5].

A multitude of protests and riots have been centered in the circle. One of those riots held at the Confederate statue was in 1962, by people opposing the court-ordered integration of the university. Sadly, the riot ended with the death of two people. A place that once divided the university's campus is now one step closer to being a more inclusive and understanding place. Although the relocation of the statue continues to cause some concerns, the university has shown it wants to step away from its confederate ties and promote the true values of the University of Mississippi. 

This entry was written by Grace Kaim

[1] “University of Mississippi Removes US Rebel Flag.” BBC News. BBC, October 26, 2015. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34641128.

[2] Svrluga, Susan. "Ole Miss takes down its state flag with Confederate emblem." The Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/10/26/ole-miss-takes-down-its-state-flag-with-confederate-emblem/.

[3] Svrluga, Susan. "As colleges grapple with racist legacies, a monument at Ole Miss will finally go." The Washington Post, 19 June 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/06/19/colleges-grapple-with-racist-legacies-monument-ole-miss-will-finally-go/.

[4] Jackson, Wilton. “Mississippi Teacher Accused of Vandalizing Ole Miss Statue amid George Floyd Protests.” Ledger. Mississippi Clarion Ledger, June 1, 2020. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2020/05/31/george-floyd-protests-ms-teacher-accused-vandalizing-ole-miss-statue/5301617002/. 

[5] Pettus, Emily Wagster. “Ole Miss Moves Confederate Statue from Prominent Campus Spot.” AP NEWS. Associated Press, July 14, 2020. https://apnews.com/article/d5824d7b24b9d7af5976da60741d4a28.