OXFORD, Miss.
The University of Mississippi has redesigned a planned civil rights memorial.
The new design was unveiled earlier this week.
“Freedom” is the sole word on top of the archway of the memorial designed by architect James Eley. The memorial will no longer contain glass doors at both ends that Chancellor Robert Khayat said was a safety hazard and could be subject to vandalism. Among other changes, it will now contain spots for visitors to sit down.
Some Ole Miss supporters who backed an earlier version of the monument felt the process dragged on far too long — nearly a decade.
Susan Glisson, director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, would not comment on the latest design, but remained unhappy with the process to build it.
“I’m not interested in supporting another top-down authoritative decision,” Glisson said.
