[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 105 (Friday, June 22, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE UNIVERSITY 
                               OF ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 22, 2018

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
countless brave men and women who worked to achieve integration on the 
campus of the University of Alabama (UA). This battle was finally won 
on June 11, 1963, nearly a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court declared 
segregation unconstitutional in the 1954 landmark case of Brown v. 
Board of Education. On that day, school officials attempted to allow 
black students to enter the University of Alabama, while then-Governor 
George C. Wallace took his infamous ``Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.''
   During the stand, Governor Wallace stood at the doors of Foster 
Auditorium at the University of Alabama to physically, and 
symbolically, block the entry of two black students: Vivian Malone and 
James Hood.
   While Hood and Malone's attempt to desegregate the University of 
Alabama was historic, they were not the first black students to apply 
or attend the school. Autherine Lucy, a graduate student from Shiloh, 
had been accepted to the University and attended for three days in 
1956. In response to her attendance, mob violence broke out on UA's 
campus, and university officials said the school could no longer 
protect Lucy. She filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the University, 
which was used as an excuse to expel her.
   Five years later, with the help of the NAACP Legal Defense and 
Educational Fund of Alabama, Hood and Malone applied to enroll at the 
University of Alabama. Their applications were denied and the two 
students faced threats for even applying, but Hood and Malone 
persisted. After two years of court proceedings, District Court Judge 
Harlan Grooms granted Hood and Malone permission to enroll at the 
University of Alabama, ruling that the University was in violation of 
the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
   Despite the ruling, Governor Wallace blocked the school doors, even 
as federal authorities demanded he step aside. When Wallace refused to 
budge, President John F. Kennedy called for 100 troops from the Alabama 
National Guard to assist federal marshals in helping Hood and Malone 
enter campus. At that point, Governor Wallace stepped aside.
   In 1965, Malone received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management 
and became the first African American to graduate from the University 
of Alabama. Hood left the University after only two months, but 
returned in 1995 to begin earning his doctorate degree. On May 17, 
1997, he received his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies.
   The legacy of Wallace's stand in the schoolhouse door is twofold. 
Although it is a reminder of the sacrifices made by African American 
students seeking a higher education, it also served as a turning point 
for the first steps toward racial equality at the University and within 
the State of Alabama.
   We commend the bravery and determination of the students who 
continued to fight for their rights and for equal access to education 
despite facing resistance from all levels of society. We also recognize 
the importance of continuing to work towards creating a more fair and 
just society for all citizens.
   In the years since the ``Stand in the Schoolhouse Doors,'' Malone, 
Hood, and countless others have been able to rightfully enroll at the 
University of Alabama. To this day, students of all ethnicities and 
backgrounds, including those involved in UA's Black Alumni Association, 
have gone on to earn undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees 
from the University of Alabama. As Malone reflected on her time at the 
University, she hoped that her impact would be lasting. ``I was just 
one person, but I think of the thousands of people who came after me, 
and I would just like to think their road might have been a little bit 
easier, [because of us]'' Malone said.
   It is because of the courage shown by Vivian Malone and James Hood 
that students from the University of Alabama have since been able to 
create a Black Alumni Association dedicated to alumni engagement, 
scholarship support, mentoring, and networking. Since it was 
established in 2016, the group has contributed more than $16,000 in 
donations towards the AAAN Endowed Scholarship Fund.
   Since 1963, the University of Alabama has continued to solidify its 
legacy by exemplifying its continued commitment to inclusion and 
equality for all persons willing to learn and grow on their campus. 
Regardless of race, the University of Alabama promises to welcome all 
students through its doors.
   I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating diversity and 
inclusion at the University of Alabama on the 55th anniversary of its 
integration.

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