One could easily say that the desire to have an impact on his community is in Huntsville City Council President John Meredith’s blood.

He is the son of civil rights figure James Meredith, the first African American student admitted to the University of Mississippi in 1962.

Meredith recalls meeting great political minds and civil rights activists, including James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte and Sydney Poitier. Such experiences were a highlight of his childhood and helped to shape the man he is today.

His mother was also a schoolteacher. So, it’s only natural that Meredith would end up in a life of public service. According to his biography on the city of Huntsville’s website, he’s been a laboratory technologist and spent time as a lobbyist in Washington.

He’s been on the city council since 2020 and represents the sprawling and fast-growing District 5 in west Huntsville that stretches from the Village of Providence to Interstate 65 in Limestone County.