Mississippi's college desegregation case approved by judge

Jet, March 4, 2002

The desegregation plan for Mississippi's universities has finally been approved by a federal judge, signaling an end to a 27-year-old legal battle.

The recent order from U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers Jr. comes a month after Mississippi lawmakers pledged to fulfill the requirements of the settlement, expected to cost more than $500 million.

Biggers said he would approve the settlement only if lawmakers demonstrated they would support it financially (JET, Jan. 21). It would be paid over 17 years with some money coming from private endowments.

The settlement calls for $246 million to be spent on academic programs at the state's historically Black institutions--Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, and Mississippi Valley State University.

An additional $75 million would go to capital improvement projects, $70 million to public endowments and up to $35 million for private endowments. Other programs such as summer classes for struggling students will receive the balance of the funds.

The lawsuit, filed by the late Jake Ayers in 1975 on behalf of his son, then a college student, accused the state of neglecting its three historically Black colleges and universities for decades.

In 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed and ordered remedies.