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Date 5-18-06
Contact David Tisdale 601.266.4499
WITH PHOTOS
Hattiesburg—Half
a century after he tried to become the first African-American student
at the University of Southern Mississippi, then known as Mississippi
Southern College (MSC), the late Clyde Kennard was cleared Wednesday
of a burglary charge many believe was trumped up to prevent him
from enrolling at the school.
Forrest County
Circuit Court Judge Robert Helfrich exonerated Kennard following
a brief hearing in the same court where the original charge against
him was brought. Ironically, the ruling followed a petition drive,
calling for him to be cleared of the charge, which was organized
by students at the same school that denied him entry.
Records show
that Kennard attempted to enroll at MSC in 1956, 1958 and 1959.
According to an article in the Sept. 9, 1991, Clarion-Ledger,
an examination of the records of the State Sovereignty Commission,
a state-funded spy agency charged with undermining desegregation
efforts, revealed that whiskey was planted in Kennard’s car in an
effort to keep him from being the first black to enroll at MSC.
The documents also cited plans to kill Kennard by placing dynamite
in his car.
Kennard was
charged with illegal possession of liquor, fined $600, and later
was sentenced in 1960 to seven years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary
at Parchman for accepting stolen chicken feed, a charge petitioners
allege was concocted solely to stop his efforts to integrate MSC.
Kennard was granted clemency by Gov. Ross Barnett in 1963. He died
of intestinal cancer July 4, 1963, in Chicago.
Kennard had
previously studied at the University of Chicago and moved back to
the Hattiesburg area to help his parents and work as a chicken farmer
in Eatonville. Continuing his college studies at nearby MSC would
be more convenient for him than traveling farther away to attend
a black college. But in the segregated Mississippi of the 1950s,
his plans to enter then all-white MSC were considered intolerable.
“To me, this
is not a black or white issue, this is a right or wrong issue. To
correct that wrong I am compelled to do the right thing and declare
Mr. Kennard innocent, and his conviction is hereby null and void,”
Helfrich said in his ruling. Helfrich’s decision followed the testimony
of Forrest County District Attorney John Mark Weathers and presentations
by retired U.S. Circuit Judge Charles Pickering and former Gov.
William Winter.
The petition
effort by the Southern Miss Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties
was backed by university officials with their signatures, including
President Shelby Thames, Ph.D., President Emeritus Aubrey K. Lucas,
Ph.D., members of the Faculty Senate and other faculty, staff and
students at the university. Current and former local and state officials,
including Gov. Haley Barbour, also joined the petition, along with
several citizens from across the state and nation.
“This is a wonderful
day for race relations in Mississippi,” Thames said. “We cannot
undo the past, but the exoneration of Clyde Kennard shows the world
that our great state has moved forward and that Southern Miss does
now and will in the future take the initiative to cultivate and
honor diversity.”
“Mississippi
has such a bright future, and anything we can do to right our wrongs
of the past will help us to realize that bright future even sooner,”
Lucas said.
Forrest County
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
President Clarence Magee agreed that the move was a positive step
forward for Mississippi. “This can only help improve race relations
in our state,” he said.
Southern Miss
political science professor Bob Press, adviser to the Center for
Human Rights and Civil Liberties, said he was proud of the efforts
of Southern Miss students to promote the petition, including the
Center’s Tangee Carter and Lakesha Bryant of the Southern Miss African-American
Student Organization. Southern Miss faculty member Dr. Sam Bruton
was the advisor for the petition project, Press said.
“It’s a historic
day, a wrong made right,” Press said of Helfrich’s ruling. “You
had blacks, whites, liberals and conservatives join to sign this
petition, and I’m pleased at the role USM has played, from the president
on down, who supported it. Now it (exoneration) has happened and
it’s the right thing.”
Pickering and
Winter said it was appropriate that the ruling take place in the
court where the original charges against Kennard were brought.
“The petitioners
are grateful to Judge Helfrich for courageously addressing this
issue forthrightly and head on,” Pickering said. “This is the right
thing to do, and I’m pleased to be a part of it.”
“Our state has
come a long way,” Winter said. “Today’s action is a source of pride
for all of us, and it puts an indelible stamp on Mississippi’s search
for justice.”
Kennard, a decorated
U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, was honored in February of
1993 by Southern Miss when the university named its Student Services
Building in his and the late Dr. Walter Washington’s honor. Washington
was the first African-American to receive a doctorate from Southern
Miss and later served as president of Alcorn State University in
Lorman.
State Sen. John
Hohrn of Jackson, who was present at the proceedings, said it was
“good to see the rights of an innocent man restored.”
“He was guilty
only of wanting a good education,” Hohrn said. “I’m sure he’s smiling
at us now from somewhere in heaven.”
Clyde Kennard
Click to enlarge
Former Gov. William Winter, left, and retired U.S. Circuit Judge Charles Pickering discuss their presentations prior to Wednesday's hearing in Forrest County Circuit Court, where the late Clyde Kennard was exonerated. Kennard, an African-American, attempted to enroll during the 1950s at then all-white Mississippi Southern College and was later arrested for accepting stolen chicken feed. After Winter and Pickering endorsed a petition calling for Kennard's innocence to be restored, he was cleared of the charge by Judge Robert Helfrich. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo by David Tisdale)
Click to enlarge
Southern Miss political science professor Bob Press, left, and retired U.S. Circuit Judge Charles Pickering discuss a petition calling for a charge of burglary against the late Clyde Kennard be dismissed, prior to a hearing Wednesday in Forrest County Circuit Court where Kennard was exonerated. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo by David Tisdale)
Click to enlarge
Forrest County Circuit Court Judge Robert Helfrich listens as testimony is given calling for the exoneration of the late Clyde Kennard, an African-American, who attempted to enroll at then all-white Mississippi Southern College in the 1950s. Helfrich ruled in favor of Kennard's innocence following the proceedings. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo by David Tisdale)
Click to enlarge
Retired Hattiesburg physician Glen Pearson, left, Southern Miss President Emeritus Aubrey K. Lucas, Ph.D., center, and State Sen. John Hohrn of Jackson talk prior to a hearing Wednesday in Forrest County Circuit Court where the late Clyde Kennard, an African-American who attempted to enroll at segregated Mississippi Southern College in the 1950s, was cleared of a burglary charge. (Southern Miss Public Relations Photo by David Tisdale)
Click to enlarge
Clyde Kennard and former Alcorn State University President Walter Washington, Ph.D., the first African-American to receive a doctorate at Southern Miss, were honored by the university in 1993 when the university's Student Services Building was named in their honor. (Photo by David Tisdale)
Click to enlarge
Plaques with information about Kennard and Washington are located in the entranceway of Kennard-Washington Hall on the Southern Miss campus in Hattiesburg. (Photo by David Tisdale)
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