Clyde Kennard Congressional Gold Medal Act

July 4, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the one of the largest miscarriages of justice in Mississippi legislative history, as Clyde Kennard was framed to prevent his entrance into the University of Southern Mississippi (U.S.M.).

Clyde Kennard was a veteran of the United States Army returning home to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, following his stepfather's death to assist his mother at the family’s farm.

Kennard had attended the University of Chicago with aid from the G.I. Bill prior to returning home. In an effort to complete his education, he applied to the University of Southern Mississippi in 1955.

Kennard was denied entrance to the all White college on the grounds that he could not provide five character references from U.S.M. alumni, making the request nearly impossible.

President William D. McCain refused to admit Kennard, despite admitting to the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission that Kennard met all of the requisite admission criteria for U.S.M.

On December 6, 1958, Kennard wrote a letter to the Hattiesburg American discussing the racial tensions caused by his hopes to attend U.S.M. and chronicling African-American hopes to be viewed as equal.

The Sovereignty Commission doubled their efforts to discredit Kennard, employing an ex-FBI agent to go through Kennard’s records of his six years as a student at the University of Chicago.

Following Kennard’s 1958 letter, Governor James P. Coleman called Kennard to his office where he asked him to hold off on the application to U.S.M. until after the election.

Following the election, Kennard applied and his University of Chicago transcript was “lost” by U.S.M. administration.

President McCain called Kennard to his office and informed him of the administration’s search for the papers.

As Kennard left the office, two Forrest County constables arrested him, claiming to have followed him from his home for having whiskey in a then dry State.

He was charged, found guilty and fined $600. As a result, his bank credit was cut off.

On September 25, 1960, Kennard was arrested for having stolen $25 worth of chicken feed from Forrest County Cooperative warehouse. He was convicted and sentenced to seven years at Parchman Penitentiary.

While in the Parchman Penitentiary in 1961, Kennard was diagnosed with colon cancer and was refused care.

By 1963, after the cancer had become untreatable, Governor Ross Barnett indefinitely suspended Kennard’s sentence.

On July 4, 1963, Kennard died of colon cancer.

Presentation authorized— The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of Clyde Kennard in recognition of his sacrifice for education equality.

Design and striking— For the purpose of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the “Secretary”) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary.

Award of medal— Following the presentation of the gold medal referred to in subsection (a), the medal shall be awarded to the Mississippi State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, where it shall be available for display or temporary loan for display elsewhere, as appropriate.

The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3 under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.

National medals— The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

Numismatic items— For purposes of section 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.