But it is Ole Miss’ commitment to free speech, administrators say, that has been an essential part of their mission to bring students together.

FIRE reports.

At Ole Miss, Free Speech Helps Heal Wounds of Segregationist Past

At one time, the University of Mississippi was the setting for one of the most infamous efforts to keep public schools racially segregated. Today, with more than 50 years separating it from that grim past, Ole Miss is gaining notoriety for its sweeping efforts to foster diversity and inclusion on campus. And administrators say it’s an oft-overlooked ally helping make those important changes on campus: Free speech.

“We do have a difficult history as a state, and certainly as a university,” Associate Dean of Students Valeria Beasley-Ross acknowledged in an interview with FIRE.