Conspiracy theories that emerged from a civil rights shooting 60 years ago resonate today
The attack turned Meredith’s march into a national civil rights spectacle, and investigators later found officials discussing a possible $5,000 bribe.
- On June 6, 1966, Aubrey Norvell stepped from a gully near Hernando, Mississippi, and fired three shots at James Meredith, a Black civil rights activist and Air Force veteran.
- The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, established to protect white supremacy, authorized a $5,000 bribe to Norvell's attorney if Norvell would admit that liberals paid him to shoot Meredith.
- Despite the attack, activists continued the three-week march; Stokely Carmichael, a civil rights activist, presented "Black Power," a slogan of self-determination marking the next stage in the Black freedom struggle.
- Norvell never revealed his motivations, allowing conspiracy theories to flourish among segregationists who sought to discredit the Meredith March Against Fear.
- Racist conspiracy theories continue to plague American politics today, from baseless accusations about Barack Obama being born in Kenya to false claims of a "great replacement" of Americans.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The Conspiracy Theories Still Resonating Today From a Civil Rights Shooting 60 Years Ago
Republished with permission from The Conversation, by Aram Goudsouzian, University of Memphis On June 6, 1966, on a stretch of Highway 51 just south of Hernando, Mississippi, a portly, middle-aged white man named Aubrey Norvell stepped out of a gully, lifted his shotgun and fired three shots at James Meredith, a Black civil rights activist and Air Force veteran. Famous for integrating the University of Mississippi four years earlier, Meredith wa…
The Conversation
Conspiracy theories that emerged from a civil rights shooting 60 years ago resonate today
James Meredith looks at Aubrey Norvell, partially hidden behind foliage, after Norvell shot him in Hernando, Miss., on June 6, 1966. AP Photo/Jack ThornellOn June 6, 1966, on a stretch of Highway 51 just south of Hernando, Mississippi, a portly, middle-aged white man named Aubrey Norvell stepped out of a gully, lifted his shotgun and fired three shots at James Meredith, a Black civil rights activist and Air Force veteran. Famous for integrating …
Conspiracy theories that emerged from a civil rights capturing 60 years in the past resonate nowadays
On June 6, 1966, on a stretch of Freeway 51 simply south of Hernando, Mississippi, a portly, middle-aged white guy named Aubrey Norvell stepped out of a gully, lifted his shotgun and fired 3 pictures at James Meredith, a Black civil rights activist and Air Power veteran. Well-known for integrating the College of Mississippi 4 years previous, Meredith used to be on the second one day of a stroll from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, w…
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