Mississippi News Erin Pennington is a skilled writer. She began her studies to become a professional communicator in 2012, when she was able to learn the basics of how information and news is distributed today via social media. She also learned how journalists use social networks as a reporting tool, and how to amplify stories to increase their reach and impact. She’s currently studying the ethics of social-media in public relations. This includes the importance of using good judgment when representing a personal brand as well as an organization. Pennington, a junior journalism major at the University of Mississippi, was president of the student chapter of National Association of Black Journalists. She couldn’t find the right words to describe to her mother what a Facebook post was about. She texted “Racist” with a screenshot of her post and added an eye roll emoticon to enhance the effect. Ed Meek, a veteran in public relations and patron of Pennington’s journalism school, wrote the post. Meek’s post quickly went viral on social media and was shared by Mississippians. It featured photos of two African American women standing in the Square following the Ole Miss-Alabama game. “I hesitated to publish these photos until now, but I believe it important that our community view what the camera is seeing at two a.m. following a football game… Enough, Oxford leaders and Ole Miss leaders! The 3 percent drop in enrollment is nothing when compared to the consequences if this trend continues. Real estate values and tax revenue will plummet, while real estate values will continue to decline. Meek posted on his Facebook page that we all share the responsibility to preserve the values that have made Ole Miss and Oxford famous nationally. Meek doesn’t know exactly what “this” is, but he believes it to be the root cause of the problem. However, no one knows the reason why the school’s enrollment is declining. The Oxford real estate market continues to grow rapidly, especially among retirees. It’s therefore unlikely that the city has experienced a drop in property values. Meek was referring to the fact that many of the revelers on that night were dressed in white gameday attire, but he also pointed out that the problem of Ole Miss/Oxford lay squarely at the feet two of the few black women who were present on the Square. Due to the university’s past with race relations, there was a lot of uproar about the post and Ole Miss officials responded quickly. Jeffrey Vitter, university chancellor, condemned the “unjustified racist overtone that is highly offensive” post. Ole Miss and Meek School graduates expressed their disgust via social media. National news reporters got to work producing stories for The Root, Essence, National Public Radio and National Public Radio. I refuse to be over-sexualized, made a scapegoat or invalidated by anyone. “I deserve to feel secure in myself on this campus, in this town, just like my counterparts, and I will continue as such,” Meek wrote in a scathing column published in Daily Mississippian, the student newspaper. Editor’s Note: Although the names of the women featured in Meek’s post were published online, Mississippi Today chose not to publish their names in this article. Meek was subject to intense and growing public criticism. He deleted the post just five hours after hitting publish. Meek requested that his name be taken from the journalism school after a series of meetings with journalism faculty. The Institutions of Higher Learning had to act on Meek’s request. They oversee state-supported colleges, universities and colleges. Pennington stated, “I thought to my self, ‘Wow. Does he think that about all of us? Meek’s post was a more moderated version of his thoughts and what he wanted the world see. Mississippi Today was able to obtain audio from a September 20, 2009 meeting in which the journalism faculty discussed the matter and provided an account of the events that preceded Meek’s posting and the subsequent days. The recording was confirmed by subsequent conversations with students and faculty who were involved in discussions with university officials. Meek called Rachel West (chief executive officer of HottyToddy.com), a news site based in Oxford, on September 16th to get a news tip. She offered to send a pair photos along with the story. Meek was on a weekend trip to Ole Miss-Alabama and did not take photos of the women. However, he received them from an Oxford acquaintance. Meek suggested that Oxford’s reputation and financial viability were being damaged by prostitution and fighting. The photos showed Meek posing with sex workers. West, who is also a journalist faculty member can be heard saying, in reference to Meek: “He called Sunday and said that there was a problem with possible crime and fighting in Oxford… He has been on my neck since Sunday (September 16), and I have refused to do it. HottyToddy.com editor-in-chief Anna Grace Usery clarified that Meek’s email mentioned that these girls were “turning tricks”, a slang term used for prostitution. He attached these photos to his email. I checked the police records to verify that there had been no prostitution arrests. So I made a firm line in the sand,” West, the CEO, stated to the faculty: “Ladies, gentlemen, this post is premeditated. My observation is that this was not a reaction of the knees. This was planned and had been discussed for a while, at most 72 hours. He told me not to do it and I assured him that I wasn’t going any to be associated with any media outlet that did it.” “Black problem in Oxford” Meek didn’t return calls or email to interview for this story and has not made any public statements regarding the incident since his Sept. 22 apology. After completing an accounting of the conversations that led Meek to post the Facebook post, the faculty voted unanimously to remove Meek from the journalism school on September 21. Meek agreed to the request and launched an expedited process in the university’s administrative and faculty committees. Meek’s long-time friend and dean of the journalism college, Will Norton, first appeared in a video that featured him flanked by two of the school’s faculty members, one of which is a black member. Norton stated in the video that “In every class, we ask our teachers to make a statement about the school of journalism or new media’s commitment to diversity in classrooms.” This includes teaching our students how to be sensitive to images and language that could create the appearance or contain bias. It is a fundamental principle of journalism. It is our responsibility. It’s our responsibility. (Disclosure: Norton was a founding member of Mississippi Today’s board and a donor. “I wanted to know what the faculty thought. There was much anger and hurt. Norton stated that it was necessary to hold a meeting like this so that the next meeting can be more rational. “This is someone I admire and respect. There were faculty members who were hurt and students who were hurt because of this person.” Seyna Clark was a sophomore journalism major. Clark explained to Mississippi Today that Ed Meek’s post didn’t mention a crime problem in Oxford. Instead, Clark said that he was talking about a black problem in Oxford. Clark, along with dozens of other students, gathered at a forum sponsored by the journalism school to discuss the incident. Black students shared their feelings of terror, anger, and disdain that evening. Students shared their thoughts about campus’ racial climate and the differences between university life for students of colour and white students. Clark said, “It’s difficult as a Black Muslim woman going to school that prides itself in calling themselves the Rebels and Ole Miss. Let’s not pretend that we don’t understand the meanings of these symbols and names. Ole Miss in context Meek began his association with University of Mississippi with its most famous racial drama. Meek was a young student photographer who documented the 1962 riot that resulted in two deaths on campus. Meek captured many iconic photos of Meredith over the following weeks. These photos were published in Meek’s 2015 photo book, “Riot.” Meek was also a Campus Cutie editor, which meant that he took risque photos of white coeds. He wrote for HottyToddy.com in January 2018. Meek was appointed the university’s public relations director in the years following Ole Miss’s integration. This meant that he had to repair the image of Ole Miss that his photojournalism helped forge in the wake the 1962 riot. Meek, who was a self-described “Mississippi redneck” from Charleston, spoke often about the transformative qualities of those years as the years went by. Meek stated that he came from Charleston to Ole Miss in a 2016 interview with Mississippi Public Broadcasting. “I brought many of the prejudices that we had at that time with me.” For many years, I denied it. It was not politically smart, and it is something I now admit. “All of us shared certain thoughts. It was a different time. It was the era Miss Americas. This was the era full of celebrations and fun. “Then, this major event changes the course of history for us as we spent the rest of our careers dealing with these issues. The Oxford of Meek’s coming of ages is now a distant memory of Oxford. In 1960, when he was a University of Mississippi undergraduate, traffic flowed in two directions on the Square. Today, police close portions of the Square’s roadways to accommodate the shoulder-to-shoulder, often well-stewed, foot traffic. In 1960, Oxford was home to 5,283 people. At the latest count, Oxford’s population was close to 25,000. In 1960, the University of Mississippi was home to just over 4,000 students. Today, it is home to nearly 24,000 students, though that number is decreasing, Meek noted. The Square was not permitted to have African Americans in the shops, bars, or restaurants it hosted in the 1960s. Some businesses wouldn’t allow black people to sit under their awnings in rainstorms, as older African American Oxonians recall. The campus has been a focal point for racial tension, as well as sexual harassment of females and insensitivity towards LGBTQ people since 1962. Each of these incidents have received extensive media coverage. Ku Klux Klan members visited campus in 2015 to protest student efforts to have the school stop flying the Confederate battle emblem-adorned state flag. Two white students placed a noose on the Meredith statue in 2014 and an old Georgia flag with the Confederate battle emblem. A young white man set fire to an Obama/Biden campaign poster in 2012 as President Barack Obama was reelected. False rumors about a campus riot and the burning of that image circulated widely. Confederate symbols are also prominently displayed throughout Ole Miss, which includes a monument that towers over the campus. Many buildings are named after Confederate sympathizers. Confederate cemeteries are located on campus. Heritage groups gather annually to remember the Lost Cause. The university’s marching band, “The Pride of the South,” played the Confederate Army battle cry song “Dixie” until 2016. Although the school has since lost its Colonel Reb mascot, the nickname of its athletic teams is still the “Rebels”, a tribute to Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War. Even the school’s name is a nod to slaves who dealt with plantation mistresses. Ol’ Miss. Six additional plaques were unveiled in March 2018 to provide context for Ole Miss’ history.

Plaques were added for George Hall, Lamar Hall and Longstreet Hall. A marker also recognized the university’s slave laborers who helped to build Barnard Observatory and the Old Chapel (now Croft), Hilgard Cut, and the Lyceum. A plaque will be added to the Ventress Hall stained-glass Tiffany windows, which recognizes the University Greys. This Civil War company, composed primarily of university students, was responsible for 100 percent of the casualties, including those killed, wounded, or captured.

After months of research by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on History and Context, the presentation was completed. However, every racist incident at the university that is brought to the public’s attention offends the campus’s black community. Clark stated that Clark and his family have to constantly reassure their families that everything is okay and pretend it’s safe. It’s difficult to go to class and be the only black student. It can be quite traumatizing to walk down the halls or sit in the library, and see white students wearing Confederate flags, Colonel Reb on their hats, T-shirts, and Trump Make America Great’ stickers on their laptops. “They’re sending out a clear message.” This powerful statement is made by Meek. However, the irony lies in his early support for new media. New media was first used in the aughts to refer to news that was created online. This term was coined to describe the news, which included social media and the internet. It was the same tools that allowed millions to view his online thoughts and to be horrified. Meek’s involvement was crucial in the creation of Ole Miss’ journalism school. Meek donated $5.3 million in 2008 to establish the Meek School of Journalism and New Media. Meek and school officials argued that the school’s second part was well-thought out. Journalism students should be able to use social media and the internet to improve their skills in order to thrive in an ever-changing industry. Meek has been preaching to everyone who will listen for years the importance of teaching digital skills to students so they can thrive in a changing field. Meek took this mission seriously and founded HottyToddy.com to help students sharpen their digital skills. Meek wanted HottyToddy.com to be a platform that students could use and learn from,” Kate Wallace (Meek’s grandaughter and former managing editor of the site) said in 2014. It is unclear what the future holds for Mississippi’s sole journalism school now that Meek has been officially removed from it. Although enrollment at four-year colleges is declining, less African Americans choose the flagship school and school of journalism in Mississippi. According to a 2016-2017 accreditation report, African Americans accounted for 9.4 percent of the journalism enrollment in the 2015-2016 school years. This compares with the university’s 13.5 percent African American enrollment. These numbers are down from previous years’ black enrollments of 10.8 percent in the journalism school and 14.4 percent for the university. This trend was confirmed by the diversity committee at the journalism school, which met just two days prior to Meek’s September 19 post on Facebook. The relatively low tuition rates in other states is a strong draw for minorities. The report was written by members of the accreditation committee. However, observations have shown that parents of black middle-class students have started to realize that the Ole Miss from the past is not the Ole Miss that they know today. The university was also in the news for removing “Dixie” the song from its football games. It is difficult to find the right balance in this place. A statue of a Confederate soldier can be found on campus near the monument commemorating James Meredith. However, one idea is emerging to show that Ole Miss is still welcoming to students of color. A petition was signed by more than 100 faculty members at Ole Miss, including many journalism faculty members, to name the school after Ida B. Wells Barnett. Wells-Barnett was born in Holly Springs into slavery and pioneered data and investigative journalism through her relentless reporting on lynchings in South. Michelle Duster, Wells-Barnett’s great-granddaughter, publicly supports the idea. Nikole Hannah Jones, investigative reporter for New York Times Magazine and cofounder of Ida B. The Wells Society for Investigative Journalism, which seeks to increase the number of journalists of color working in newsrooms of color, suggested that the school be renamed for Wells Barnett. Let’s not forget that she was an innovator in investigative journalism and data reporting and also reported on lynching. She was a suffragist. This was at a time that black people were losing their rights and Reconstruction was ending. “This woman persevered, and fearlessly shared the story of black people dying due to extrajudicial violence,” Hannah Jones, who has family ties with Greenwood, said to Mississippi Today. R.L. Nave contributed reporting.