The University of Arkansas Press is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Man on a Mission: James Meredith and the Battle of Ole Miss.
Written by Aram Goudsouzian, illustrated by Bill Murray, and edited by Vijay Shah, Man on a Mission is a graphic history that tells James Meredith’s dramatic story in his own singular voice. In 1962, Meredith famously desegregated the University of Mississippi. As the first Black American admitted to the school, he demonstrated great courage amidst the subsequent political clashes and tragic violence. After President Kennedy summoned federal troops to help maintain order, the South—and America at large—would never be the same. Man on a Mission depicts Meredith’s relentless pursuit of justice, beginning with his childhood in rural Mississippi and culminating with the confrontation at Ole Miss.
From the dawn of the modern civil rights movement, Meredith has offered a unique perspective on democracy, racial equality, and the meaning of America. Man on a Mission presents his captivating saga for a new generation in the era of Black Lives Matter.
Aram Goudsouzian is the Bizot Family Professor of History at the University of Memphis and the author of several books, including Down to the Crossroads: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Meredith March Against Fear. Bill Murray has, over a long career, illustrated many editorial cartoons and several nationally syndicated comic strips. His work has appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, Ebony, Jet, Reader’s Digest, the Chicago Defender, and USA Today. He also creates the weekly strip Sonny Boy for the New Pittsburgh Courier. Vijay Shah an independent scholar, as worked in publishing for many years.
Man on a Mission will be published in September 2022.