(University, MS) The meeting between a student who claimed harassment at Ole Miss and the administration amounted to a smoothing over of feelings.
Mary Woods said the discussion about what happened to her son Jamal, helped, ”Now that we made the step to come here, I do feel better”.
Woods claimed he was a victim of a series of racially motivated incidents which ended with vandalism to his truck a few weeks ago.
”The University is concerned about every students who enters here. The University will back students who enter here. We are appalled at what transpired with him,” said Donald Cole, University of Mississippi Vice Chancellor for Multi-cultural affairs.
The University has promised support for Woods and others, and a full investigation into the incidents.
Alumni and others have stepped forward to pay for repairs to Woods’ truck.
”I think they’ll go the last mile to try to help him and do all they can, made a lot of progress and very relieved at the meeting with everybody today,” said Lewis Garrison, the Woods family attorney.
In an odd twist, Garrison is the same man who represented Loyd Jowers a man thought in the 90’s to have had a key role in the plot to kill Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.
But that didn’t bother the civil rights leaders who came with Woods to meet with Chancellor Dan Jones.
They remained focused on the here and now.
”The Chancellor was very candid and they gave us information in terms of the communication they had with Jamal and we’re hoping he stays at the University,” said the Rev. Dwight Montgomery, of the Memphis Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Montgomery said such a move would put Woods in standing with James Meredith, the first African-American admitted to Ole Miss.
But Woods says he’s not ready to commit, ”I’m thinking about it. No decision yet. No final decicsion”.