*The University of Alabama voted on Friday to remove a Ku Klux Klan leader’s name from a campus building that had listed it next to the name of its first Black student.
The College of Education building will now be called Autherine Lucy Hall, after Autherine Lucy Foster who attended the university for three days in 1956, The Hill reports.
Here’s more from AL.com:
Sixty-six years ago, Autherine Lucy Foster became the first African American student to enroll at the University of Alabama, where she hoped to earn her master’s degree in education. She took classes at Graves Hall, sometimes having to shelter in a tunnel leading to the building’s annex to avoid violence from white mob of students and residents, who had surrounded the building to protest her enrollment, until officials expelled her for her safety on her third day of classes.
The building, which houses the College of Education, will still bear the last name of Bibb Graves, a former Grand Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan who used his position to gain political power. He became governor of Alabama during the Great Depression and sponsored several educational and social reforms, later denouncing the Klan in the late 1920s.
“Dr. Autherine Lucy Foster is a continuing testament to courage, tenacity and compassion,” said Judge John England Jr., a trustee emeritus who chaired the board’s Building Names Working Group. “Her bravery opened the door for students of all races at The University of Alabama to achieve their dreams. We are honored to recognize her lasting legacy.”
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The story of Autherine Lucy, who challenged segregation at the University of Alabama in the mid 1950s, left a lasting legacy and her fight against racism still inspires students today. #BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/wqB4Y769UC pic.twitter.com/HeF6gsEnjB
— United States Courts (@uscourts) February 9, 2021
Many were outraged that the University had planned to memorialize a racist white man next to Foster and the backlash prompted yet another name change on Friday.
In 2020, nearly 2,000 people signed a petition to rename the building solely after Lucy Foster.
“Bibb Graves’ name was the most difficult and time-consuming of all that we reviewed,” England said. “… On the one hand, Governor Graves was regarded by historians as one of – if not – the most progressive and effective governor in the history of Alabama. Some say he did more to directly benefit African American Alabamians than any other governor through his reform. Unfortunately, that same Governor Graves was associated with the Ku Klux Klan. Not just associated with the Ku Klux Klan, but a Grand Cyclops – It’s hard for me to even say those words.”
England said the committee ultimately decided to look past Graves’ Klan affiliation. The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees initially voted to rename Graves Hall on the UA campus to Lucy-Graves Hall.
University of Alabama renamed a building after its first Black student — but her name will be next to that of an ex-governor who led the KKK.
The choice to honor both has sparked outcry. Autherine Lucy Foster enrolled in 1956, but was expelled days later after racists protested. pic.twitter.com/c9PkZ50Vh8
— AJ+ (@ajplus) February 8, 2022
The campus paid tribute to Foster with a historic marker in front of Lucy-Graves Hall (now called Autherine Lucy Hall), home to the College of Education, in 2017.
“I am so grateful to all who think that this naming opportunity has the potential to motivate and encourage others to embrace the importance of education, and to have the courage to commit to things that seek to make a difference in the lives of others,” Lucy Foster said in a press release Thursday.
“Her dedication and determination are matched only by her unfailing belief in the value of education and human rights,” said UA President Stuart Bell said in a news release. “We are truly proud and honored that Dr. Foster’s name will grace the home of our College of Education for future generations — acknowledging the great power of an individual with purpose.”
Thurgood Marshall wrote to Foster in a letter at the time of her enrollment at the university, “Whatever happens in the future, remember for all concerned, that your contribution has been made toward equal justice for all Americans and that you have done everything in your power to bring this about.”
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