In conjunction with Law Alumni Weekend, the University of Mississippi School of Law will host a screening of the PBS syndicated documentary film “You Asked for the Facts” this Saturday, March 26, at 11:45 a.m. at the Weems Auditorium. The film chronicles then-Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s 1966 visit to the university and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering from UM law students to bring him here.
Just four years after James Meredith enrolled at UM, university students flouted the statewide speaker ban (later ruled unconstitutional) for college campuses in Mississippi by inviting Kennedy to speak at the university to reveal the truth about phone calls with former governor Ross Barnett. At the time of Meredith’s enrollment, Kennedy was U.S. Attorney General and knew about the conversations between Barnett and the White House.
The documentary film was produced and directed by Mary Blessey, a Mississippi filmmaker and daughter of 1966 law alumnus Gerald Blessey. The film contains previously unreleased footage of the speech and interviews with eyewitnesses and individuals directly involved, including James Meredith, Ethel Kennedy, Reuben Anderson, and many more.
The screening is free and open to the public. Light food and refreshments will be served.