MISSISSIPPI STATE BASKETBALL CONTROVERSY

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MISSISSIPPI STATE BASKETBALL CONTROVERSY The Mississippi State University Controversy was based on the racism on the part of the state of Mississippi and their unwritten laws on interracial sports. The state of Mississippi did not want the black schools to integrate with the white schools. After the schools were forced to interrelate the blacks were not being given fair treatment. African-American athletes were no exception to the hated off the closed minded society. Mississippi's "un written" against interracial collegiate athletics was broadcast in the fall of 1955 after Jones County Junior College accepted a bid to play in the Junior Rose Bowl against an integrated football team from Compton, California. In order to force state schools to refuse such invitations in the future, Mississippi legislatures in collusion with complaint from the offending schools.

The repeal of Mississippi's unwritten athletic law finally came on April 18, 1963. At that day's board meeting, J.N.

Lipscomb, another Barnett appointee, declared that; "No intercollegiate contest with intergraded teams, Intercollegiate contest with intergraded teams outside our state but not inside our state, Disregard the degree of interrogation of opposing teams whether these contest are held in Mississippi or beyond our boarders. The College Board voted 7 to 5 against considering any of Lipscomb's three options. In its refusal to prohibit future interracial athletic games, the board nullified the unwritten law and acquiesced in the inevitably of intergraded collegiate activities.