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Good morning.

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Fifty-twoÌýyears ago today, James Meredith finally succeeded in his attempts to be the first African-American student to enroll in the University of Mississippi. The next day he was escorted by police to his first class through jeering crowds. It was a harrowing experience for him which sparked the Mississippi riots. After the public protests ended, Meredith continued to face abuse, but later claimed “I did it ‘more for America than for me'.ÌýÌýÌý

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I admire the fortitude of Meredith and others who have taken a stand against racism. No one should be judged by their colour, gender or background. ÌýNo person is better than another. In the Bible we fins these words:

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ÌýBeloved let us love one another because love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God; for God is love. Ìý

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Earlier this year, Maya Angelou, an African-American writer and poet died. She was a remarkable person who in her long life crossed many barriers with love.Ìý But before she could do that she had to come to the realization that God loved her. She liked to tell the story of the day when a voice teacher had her read a passage from a book entitled: ÌýLessons in Truth. The passage she read ended with the lines ‘God loves me’. When she had finished reading, the teacher asked her to read the words, again and then again. After reading those three words a number of times, Maya said she began to cry as somehow she was liberated by the thought: God loves me.

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