Clyde Kennard Lecture

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2026 Lecture:

This year's lecture series will center on the book "Mixing: Race, Higher Education, and the Case of Clyde Kennard." The authors are Dr. Sherita Johnson, Dr. Cheryl Jenkins, Dr. Loran Coleman, and Dr. Rebecca Turri.

Through archival research and interdisciplinary analysis, this book unearths Kennard’s story, examining his activism and contributions within the context of systemic racism and the fight for desegregation in higher education. This volume draws from periodicals, court documents, and student publications to recover Kennard’s case from the shadows of history. It emphasizes his efforts to empower African Americans and create lasting social change.

Each chapter offers a unique perspective on Kennard’s life and legacy, particularly his influence on the Hattiesburg community and on students at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mixing is both a tribute to Kennard’s enduring fight for justice and a call to continue conversations about race, education, and social equity today.

The Clyde Kennard Lecture Series

Clyde Kennard

Clyde Kennard was the first African American to attempt enrollment at the segregated Mississippi Southern College in the 1950s (this institution, later becoming The University of Southern Mississippi, was integrated in 1965).

In honor of its namesake, the lecture will commemorate Clyde Kennard’s experience as an unsung civil rights activist, who sparked progressive changes in the movement for racial integration of higher education throughout Mississippi and the nation at-large. Key goals for the lecture:

Examine educational equity for underrepresented minorities in higher education and in P-12 schools

Present interdisciplinary studies about the experiences of Black people

Promote campus and community partnerships to create sustainable and equitable relations

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To donate funds to support the Clyde Kennard Lecture as an annual event, please use the link below.

Funds are deposited with the USM Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, which serves as a fiduciary of all private funds donated to Southern Miss. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent of current IRS regulations.

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