June 11, 1963

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Today is the 50th anniversary of Alabama Governor George Wallace's "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" and the successful integration of The University of Alabama by James Hood and Vivian Malone. Wallace blocked the door to Foster Auditorium, where UA students registered for classes, until he was forced to move by the Alabama National Guard under orders from President Kennedy. 

Vivian Malone Jones and James Hood via

"The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened." - John F. Kennedy 

Autherine Lucy was the first African American enrolled at The University of Alabama in 1956, but she was expelled after just three days. 

Read more about how The University of Alabama is commemorating this anniversary with Through the Doors. 

Further reading on this subject: The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation's Last Stand at The University of Alabama by E. Culpepper Clark and Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of The University of Alabama and the fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa by B.J. Hollars. 

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During my time as a student at Alabama, I was able to see a closed Foster Auditorium come to life again as the home of women's basketball and volleyball and have been able to walk through the doors myself. 

I have also heard B.J. Hollars speak twice on his books.