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

10. The Calm before the Stand: June 10, 1963

chapter 10 The Calm before the Stand June 10, 1963 Segregation is going, whether we like it or not. Monday, June 10, began another blistering week in the heart of Alabama, though temperatures would creep even higher the following day. In anticipationofthegovernor ’sstand,overfourhundredcorrespondentsfromthrough­ out the world descended upon Tuscaloosa, some traveling from as far away as Japan, Korea, and the Netherlands. But the reporters with the most unique perspective were Ameri­ cans themselves—African Ameri­ cans. One such reporter, Samuel Adams of the St. Petersburg Times, offered an optimistic depiction of his own on-­ campus experiences among the student body. “If the treatment accorded me by the students I met is any indication of the treatment the two Negro students will receive, then there is no cause to fear trouble,” he assured. Adams admitted to keeping a low profile, adding thathehadnotroubleeatinginTuscaloosa,either,primarilybecause“someof my white friends who are reporters went into hamburger stands and brought me food.” When approached by white students, Adams reported that it was only out of a “subdued curiosity.” 82 The Stand “They wanted to know how we were getting along and they asked us to tell them what was going on,” he explained. “They said they felt shut out of the developments.” % After a weekend spent in New York conferring with lawyers and attending a Broadwayshow,JamesHoodandVivianMalonereturnedtoAlabama,where the newspapers were already reporting the newly emerging details of their arrival .Oneofthelatestdetailsunveiledwastheiron-­campusaccommodations, the Tuscaloosa News reporting that Malone would be housed in Mary Burke Hall (within sight of Foster Auditorium), while Hood would be across campus in Palmer Hall. The paper also noted where the students would take their meals—assuring that the tactic of denying board (as had been the case with Lucy) would not be repeated. In an effort to stifle the hullabaloo already set for Tuesday, students were encouraged to register on Monday. Yet that summer the student’s registration required a bit more paperwork than usual, in­ clud­ ing a “no-­ violence pledge” that students were required to sign, along with an acknowledgment that they would not bring weapons to campus. While students understood the need for a no-­ weapons policy, there was more than a little grumbling related to a newly enforced curfew that demanded students stay in their dorms from 10:00 p.m. until dawn. Similarly, students were perturbed that they could no longer park their cars on campus. Nevertheless, as students began registering for classes, the newspapers re­ portedan“airofcalmness”pervadingthrough­outcampus.Thepreviousweek­ end had proved equally quiet, so much so that one experienced police officer informed reporters that Saturday had been “one of the quietest days he has seen since he joined the force.” Despite the many distractions, Alabama students somehow managed to overlook the trailers and trucks utilized as a makeshift headquarters. Similarly ,justafewmilestotheeast,thegroundsofCastleHillElementarySchool had been converted to a landing strip for the army’s helicopters, yet even the sounds of overhead choppers seemed hardly to distract the students. While theuniversityattemptedtomaintainasenseofnormalcy,GovernorWallace’s presence was making the task quite difficult. Despitevari­ouspleastothecontrary,WallacearrivedinTuscaloosaonMon­ The Calm before the Stand 83 day afternoon, beginning his show at the Hotel Stafford where, upon spot­ ting the hoard of newspapermen, he jokingly quipped, “Let’s not have any mob violence here.” The Tuscaloosa News reported that the governor then turned serious, informing reporters that “if they had come here expecting to see mob violence or rioting, they were going home disappointed.” % For the governor, much of Monday evening was spent shaking hands and touring the university campus, as well as spending time with National Guardsmen at the nearby armory. Meanwhile, not far away, Deputy Attorney General Kat­zenbach concluded his own final preparations. Jefferson Bennett recalled Katzenbach’s last-­ minute concern that due to the strictly enforced barriers surroundingcampus,thedeputyattorneygeneralhimselfmightbebarredentrance unless he, too, retained the necessary school identification. “So, we issued him a faculty card,” Bennett explained. The administrative vice president went on to describe a serendipitous run-­inwithKatzenbachdecadeslater,inwhichheaskedhimifhestillhadhisUniversity of Alabama faculty card. “And you know, he did,” Bennett reported incredulously . “He had it put in plastic and still carries it.” Yet prior to being memorialized, the memento would first be put to good use, Katzenbach sticking the card in his wallet in the off chance the guards demanded ID. It seemed an unnecessary precaution, though Katzenbach, the Kennedys, and university administrators had planned for far too long to hit a snag on...