Meredith Says Hate, Bigotry in Statue Defacement Must Be Answered By Prayer

James Meredith called the vandalizing of his statue on the Ole Miss campus Sunday an act of moral breakdown in Mississippi.
He said the only solution was renewed adherence to the 10 Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer.
Meredith made the comments during an interview with HottyToddy.com Tuesday morning. Addressing the state of bigotry in his home state, the civil rights pioneer said Mississippi was best equipped to eradicate the kind of hatred that led to the defacement of the statue, “People know the difference between right and wrong here — they know how to determine the good from the bad and apply that to their lives.”
Meredith, who is proud of his role in breaking the color barrier at Ole Miss, said he tires of living in a state that is considered at the bottom of so many categories of progress, but adds that he is extremely optimistic that things are changing for the better.
“I’ve lived all my life in Mississippi and I want to live in a Mississippi that is No. 1 — the best — in all aspects of social and educational progress, including race relations. I believe in my heart that we’re heading in that direction,” he said. “But we can’t get there until young people are taught the fundamental truths that are captured in the 10 Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. These eternal values must be taught to children by age 5.”
Asked what the university should do in response to the crime, Meredith said there are two things he has vowed never to do: lie or judge others. He said he had no comment on how Ole Miss should respond to the incident.
Andy Knef is HottyToddy.com editor. Andy can be contacted at Andy.Knef@hottytoddy.com