HATTIESBURG, miss. (WDAM) – Black Lives Matter Mississippi held a wreath-laying ceremony on Sunday for an important figure in Hattiesburg history who died that day in 1963.
Clyde Kennard is a retired military man who served in World War II and the Korean War.
Kennard attempted to become the first African American to attend the University of Southern Mississippi in 1956, but was denied admission because of his race.
People from across the Magnolia State gathered to attend the ceremony in the Maria Magdalenen Church cemetery.
Kennard died at the age of 36.
“We are doing this today to honor a legacy in the Hattiesburg community. A legacy that started not just at USM but before that, so that people could really understand the importance of Clyde Kennard, what he did and what he went through just to enroll at the University of Southern Mississippi, ”said Jojo Virgil, President of Black Lives Matter Mississippi.
Virgil said they hope to hold the ceremony every Independence Day.
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