On February 26, 1869, the 15th Amendment guaranteeing the right to vote was sent to the states for ratification. On that day in 2022, Western New Mexico University celebrated alumnus James Meredith, who marched for voting rights in 1966. (There’s more to that story. Read the details here.)
While most see Meredith’s admission to the all-white University of Mississippi as a pivotal moment in civil rights history, Meredith sees his attendance at what he calls “New Mexico Western College” in the fall of 1951 as a pivotal moment in his personal history.
The activist, political advisor and author of 28 books said, “A whole lotta water’s crossed under the bridge, but there’s no question in my mind the role New Mexico Western College played in my good fortune through my life.”