Posted on 01/18/2013 4:14:18 PM PST by iowamark
One of the first black students to enroll at the University of Alabama 50 years ago, defying then-Governor George Wallace's pledge to block integration of the state's public schools, died on Thursday of natural causes, a funeral home said.
James Hood, 70, died in his hometown of Gadsden, Alabama, according to his obituary notice published on Friday.
Hood and Vivian Malone were the first African-American students to register to attend the all-white state university, and did so over the objections of a governor known for his resistance to the U.S. civil rights movement.
Fifty years ago this week, on January 14, 1963, Wallace promised "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" during his inaugural speech at the Capitol in Montgomery.
Five months later, on June 11, 1963, Wallace stood outside an auditorium at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in a failed effort to prevent Hood and Malone from registering...
Hood attended the university for a few months before moving to Michigan and going to school there. He returned in 1997 to earn his doctorate in education, according to the university...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Vivian Malone and James Hood after registering later that day. Malone, who became the first African American graduate of the University, died in 2005.
Nice football team ya got there.
Mr. Hood had some courage. RIP.
Honestly, it was about time. Now, what we have is a mobthink crowd like the black caucus that discriminates against their own color for thought crimes.
And thanks for giving Notre-our-lord-and-saviour-obungle-Dame football lessons.
Wallace....couldn't happen to a better person.
Unless, I missed it, no where in this article does it identify George Wallace as the Democrat Governor of Alabama, as it would more then likely have identified him as a Republican, if he had been one, which he wasn’t. George Wallace was a Democrat.
I had to google the four top articles on Wallace before I was able to find a mention that he was a Democrat.
The balding guy with his arms folded is Nicholas Katzenbach, attorney for Kennedy at the time and USAG under Johnson.
Gadsden Times obituary:
http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20130117/NEWS/130119841/1016/NEWS?p=all&tc=pgall
Rest in Peace, Ms. Hood. Men such as you and James Meredith are American heroes.
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