Video: James Meredith Speaks in Columbus

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – He has been called a civil rights icon…a hero for his bravery.  James Meredith desegregated Ole Miss in 1962.

These days, James Meredith is still working on change.  Meredith believes that saving the next generation begins with the church and parents have to do a better job of guiding their children.

“I lived in my daddy’s house 17 years. Never once in 17 years, did we ever sit down at the dinner table and he didn’t say the grace. We said a prayer, if it wasn’t anything but “Jesus wept”. I had 5 children and 11 grandchildren. I haven’t ever done it once and there are whole lot of people who know they didn’t do their job,” says Meredith.

Meredith hopes to spread his message of improving the family unit and community throughout the state. He spoke to the Columbus Rotary Club and held a meeting with church members at St. James United Methodist Church.

Tavetia Hughes is a member of St. James United Methodist Church.

“He’s trying to spread the message across Mississippi about what we need to do to help our family, to improve our family, to take the situation we have, so that single households and women don’t have to work so hard,” says Hughes.

Meredith recently released his 26th book entitled, “Mission from God” and says even in his golden years, he knows there is still work to be done.

Meredith says he plans to travel to every county in Mississippi to spread his message of change.