[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 13, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E35-E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MEREDITH ANDING, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 13, 2021

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
Meredith Anding, Jr., a native of Myles, Mississippi. Mr. Anding and 
eight other undergraduate students at Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS

[[Page E36]]

were on a mission to desegregate the library system in Jackson, 
Mississippi. As part of their effort they courageously staged a sit-in 
on March 27, 1961 at the Jackson Public Library in Jackson, MS. This 
sit-in was initiated after the students recognized the lack of books at 
the George Washington Branch Library (colored). Prior to their ``read-
in'' the students had been trained by the president of the Jackson 
Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP). The nine students were all members of the Jackson 
Council of the NAACP. As a result of their historic impact in 
integrating the public library system in Mississippi, they will be 
forever known as ``The Tougaloo Nine''.
  The nine students were arrested and after being released from jail 
Mr. Anding joined the Air Force, due to losing his private loan to 
continue his studies at Tougaloo College. Mr. Anding would serve four 
years in the Air Force and later return to Tougaloo in 1969 to finish 
his degree. Mr. Anding moved to Buffalo, New York, to attend the 
University of Buffalo and earned his master's degree in Mathematics. He 
met his wife of 50 years, Mrs. Maurice Anding. He taught at the State 
University of New York and Niagara University until his retirement in 
2007.
  Mr. Anding and his wife eventually moved back to Mississippi to be 
close to family. Anding was involved in the Tougaloo community and he 
also attended the 50th anniversary of the protest in 2017.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the late 
Mr. Meredith Anding Jr.

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