Court to Hear Mississippi College Desegregation Appeal
JACKSON, Miss.
A federal appeals court will hear arguments Nov. 3 on the settlement of Mississippi’s college desegregation case.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was asked in March by attorney Alvin Chambliss to schedule a hearing on demands from plaintiffs opposed to last year’s deal. Chambliss, who has represented plaintiffs in the case for more than 20 years, now represents Lillie Ayers, widow of the man who filed the lawsuit, along with some professors and alumni. The plaintiffs say the settlement is unfair and far short of what the late Jake Ayers Sr. desired (see Black Issues, Jan. 16).
The college desegregation case originated in 1975 when Jake Ayers sued the state, accusing Mississippi of neglecting its Black universities for decades. Plaintiffs successfully demanded more money be put into the historically Black institutions to end discrimination. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed and ordered remedies.
