Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of the University of Alabama and the Fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa

24. The End of an Era: 1964–71

chapter 24 The End of an Era 1964–71 That which unites us is, must be, stronger than that which divides us. While Autherine Lucy’s 1956 attempt at desegregation ended in chaos, it proved a necessary step toward future desegregation efforts, proof of which was made clear seven years later by Governor Wallace’s stand in the schoolhouse door. Wallace’s stand, too, left an indelible mark, serving as a barometer for a nation’s struggles with race. While both of these events maintain clear timelines, the city’s civil rights movement remains far harder to trace. Undoubtedly , the summer of 1964 proved a pivotal time for Tus­ ca­ loosa’s civil rights movement, though TCAC and Reverend Rogers continued its battles through 1971. Even after Rogers’s death, the city’s African Ameri­ can community continued gaining ground—his departure offset by America’s changing landscape. In May of 1965, nearly two years after the stand in the schoolhouse door, Crimson WhitestudentreporterDanWilliamsonnotedthatTuscaloosa“must have the most unique civil rights situation in the world.” The senior had come to this conclusion from drawing upon the culmination of his four years of experiences at the university and its city. His article went on to describe the 212 The Movement major players—Grand WizardRobert Shelton (“full of snap and quick to answer ”), Reverend T. Y. Rogers (“easy to talk to and he answers slowly, softly, deliberately”), and Police Chief William Marable (“friendly and frank”)—a diverse cast of characters, all of whom possessed competing interests. “To summarize,”Williamsonreported,“thesituationinTuscaloosaismixed and confused: a sort of unnatural quiet for the time being.” Yet Vivian Malone drew a far different conclusion. Just weeks after Williamson ’s assessment, Malone donned cap and gown and became the first African Ameri­ can student to graduate from the University of Alabama. In her waning days at the university, she offered a rare pub­ lic statement since first entering the school two years prior. “Onthewholeit’sbeenquiteahappyyearforme,”shetoldthepress.“I have no bitterness.” She added that she had not had an “unpleasant experience” at the university and would miss her friends most of all. As further proof of her assimilation, when asked by reporters if she believed Alabama’s beloved football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant could walk on water, Malone replied, “Maybe.” Perhaps the most symbolic visit to Foster Auditorium occurred the year following Malone’s graduation—on March 18, 1966—when then-­Senator Robert Kennedy and Governor George Wallace shared the stage just one day apart. Both were invited to speak at a two-­day forum called “Emphasis 66” to discuss that year’s theme: “The Student Role in a Democratic Society.” Many Alabamians were opposed to Kennedy’s invitation to speak at the very site where he and his brother had forced desegregation just three years before. Letters poured into newspapers through­ out the state, calling RFK “human garbage” and “a dirty little man who needs a haircut.” Kennedy responded to the criticism, explaining: “I’m here because I was invited.” WhileWallace’s speech was soon forgotten,Robert Kennedy’s words would live on—one line, in particular: “That which unites us is, must be, stronger than that which divides us.” Kennedy’s call for unity proved a perfect foil for Wallace’s more combative tone, and the University of Alabama students responded to his message of peace. They also responded to the senator’s poking fun at their governor, in­ clud­ ing a reference to the schoolhouse door incident in which Kennedy quipped, “I was wondering why they sneaked me in the side door . . . someone was blocking the door out front.” Crimson White reporter Dan Williamson noted that Kennedy’s “wit and charm won the audience over to him to an amazing degree.” Even when The End of an Era 213 Ken­ nedy controversially proclaimed “that Negroes must be as free as other­Ameri­ cans . . . not because it is economically advantageous, not because the law says so, but because it is right,” the crowd overwhelmed him with cheers. It was a response Kennedy couldn’t have dreamed of three years earlier, when a mostly silent student body watched begrudgingly as Hood and Malone breached the color barrier. Inclosing(andperhapstakingafinaljabatWallace)Kennedyadded:“And it is far easier to accept and stand on the past than to fight for the answers of the future.” % Just a few minutes past midnight on June 5, 1968, Robert Kennedy was felled by...