The history of Vivian Malone Jones, first Black student to graduate from Alabama

Molly Weisner, The Tuscaloosa News
·2 min read
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Stillman College plans to commemorate a key figure in Alabama's history and an esteemed professional in civil rights work.

The HBCU aims to build a WYCA on its campus that will serve students and employees, as well as residents in Tuscaloosa's West End.

And they plan to name it after Vivian Malone Jones, the first African American to graduate from the formerly segregated University of Alabama on May 30, 1965.

Read more: Stillman College partners with the YWCA for building to honor Vivian Malone Jones

Her fight for admission to UA

Along with another African American student, Gadsden native James Hood, Malone Jones and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed suit against UA for denying entry to Black students, according to the NAACP.

A district judge ruled in favor of admitting them but was blocked by then-Gov. George Wallace in the “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” event.

Gov. Wallace, on June 11, 1963, stood in the doorway of Foster Auditorium as a show of his opposition to school integration imposed by the federal government.

The governor pledged to uphold segregation in the state, coining the now infamous slogan of “Segregation now, segregation forever.”

But after the arrival of federal guard troops and four and a half hours, the Malone Jones and Hood were admitted.

Vivian Malone Jones is led into Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in September 1963. Gov. George C. Wallace tried to block her entrance into the University. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser)
Vivian Malone Jones is led into Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. in September 1963. Gov. George C. Wallace tried to block her entrance into the University. (AP Photo/Montgomery Advertiser)

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Officials plan to the name the facility, the Vivian Malone Jones YWCA at Stillman College.

A successful career in Alabama's civil rights work

Malone Jones' husband, Mack Arthur Jones, was a Stillman student who served as her personal driver during her time at UA.

Malone Jones' family credits the support from Stillman and the West End community for helping her graduate from UA, according to the Tuscaloosa News.

The Mobile native received a bachelor of arts in business management, according to UA's website. When she graduated, she joined the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice. She also worked at the Environmental Protection Agency as director of civil rights and urban affairs and director of environmental justice before retiring in 1996.

Vivian Malone and James Hood, two Black students, register at the Alabama University, 12 June 1963, in Tuscaloosa. In June 1963, a federal court barred any state government interference with the enrollment of two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, at the University of Alabama. Despite this order, Governor George Wallace appointed himself the temporary University registrar and stood in the doorway of the administration building to prevent the students from registering. In response, President Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard. One hundred guardsman escorted the students to campus and their commander, General Henry Graham, ordered George Wallace to "step aside." Thus were the students registered. Kennedy addressed the public, 11 June 1963, in a speech broadcast by all television networks, that cleared his position on civil rights. The bill that he submitted to Congress was ultimately passed as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Photo credit should read OFF/AFP via Getty Images)

That same year, former Governor Wallace presented the Lurleen B. Wallace Award for Courage to Malone Jones. He told her, according to the NAACP, that he made a mistake 33 years earlier and that he admired her.

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She also gave the 2000 University of Alabama Commencement address, which you can watch here.

Malone Jones died in 2005 from complications following a stroke.

Molly Weisner is a digital producer for the USA TODAY network. Find her on Twitter @molly_weisner.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Vivian Malone Jones, first Black graduate from University of Alabama

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