On this episode of State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews James Meredith, a hero for human dignity and equality. Mr. Meredith grew up in the Deep South—but didn’t grow up in poverty. His father was the son of an enslaved person who had risen to be a successful, independent farmer. So, it wasn’t until James was 15—on a train ride home from Detroit—that he saw the underbelly of American society. This is what he said:
“The train wasn’t segregated when we left Detroit. But when we got to Memphis, the conductor told my brother and me we had to go to another car. I cried all the way home from Memphis, and in a way, I have cried ever since.
James Meredith turned tears into a battle plan. Fueled by faith-filled courage, he became a man on a mission. He’s nearly 90 now, and he’s still fighting. (original airdate 5-19-23)
Up Next in Season 4 (2023)
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Yes They Can! : State of Independence
In Pennsylvania, there’s a law that assigns a child to a school based on five numbers. Not an SAT score. Not your monthly income. Not IQ. So, what is the number sequence—the code that can be the difference in a child’s success or failure in school? It’s a zip code.
Pastor Joshua Robertson is a p... -
This Little Light: The Nour Coffee St...
Maybe you’ve done it—encountered a person with a disability and saw their limits—not even thinking about the possibilities of how God designed them. Neurodiverse people —that’s someone who has a brain that works differently from the average person—would likely be one of those people. They might c...
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Telling the Rest of the American Stor...
How is it possible to tell the story of the founding of America, but ignore those circumstances and events that cannot be explained—apart—from the hand of God? In every great scene of this epic story is evidence of God and the pleading prayers of the Americans. Courage and action informed by the ...
