The struggle over what is taught in schools often reflects deeper societal conflicts about power, identity, and control. From the anti-literacy laws of the 1800s, which aimed to keep enslaved Black people from reading to today's debates over Critical Race Theory (CRT) and book bans, the fight for knowledge has always been connected to the fight for freedom.

In 1962, one man's bravery changed the course of American education and civil rights. James Meredith, an African American U.S. Air Force veteran, made history as the first Black student to attend the University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss.