In August 2020, Provost Noel Wilkin appointed a task force charged with developing a framework to guide repair, reconciliation, and relationships with all those affected by the Fulton Chapel Protest and subsequent arrests in February 1970.

The Black Power at Ole Miss Task Force includes current faculty, staff, and students, as well as alumni–some of whom were directly impacted by the 1970 expulsions and arrests. Our charge extends beyond acknowledging the long reverberating consequences of that event to confronting and making amends for patterns of behavior, thought, and practice that have historically made the University of Mississippi an unwelcoming place to Black students. All of the committee members have listened and read about the protests and arrests, and listened to the oral histories that were collected as part of the February 2020 event.

The work of collecting the stories of all those affected by the protest and arrests has continued in a series of listening sessions.

During the fall 2020 semester, listening session have been held at the following dates and times:

Thursday, October 1: 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Tuesday, October 6: 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Thursday, October 8: 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Monday, October 12: 6:00 PM-7:30 PM

Monday, November 16: 6:00-7:30 PM

Thursday, December 3: 6:00-7:30 PM

We continue to plan even more listening sessions, and will add upcoming dates here when they become available. If you would like to participate in a listening session, please contact April Harriell at 662-915-2933 or afharrie@olemiss.edu.