1963 - Vivian Malone and James Hood, register at the University of Alabama

On June 11, 1963, Vivian Malone and James Hood successfully integrated the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, despite resistance from segregationist Governor George Wallace. Wallace staged a symbolic “stand in the schoolhouse door,” physically blocking the entry of the two Black students. In a dramatic confrontation, federal authorities—including Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach—confronted Wallace, and President Kennedy federalized the Alabama National Guard to enforce the students’ rights. Wallace ultimately stepped aside, and Malone and Hood entered Foster Auditorium to register for classes. Their courage symbolized the determination of the civil rights movement to dismantle segregation in higher education. Vivian Malone would go on to become the university’s first Black graduate in 1965. This event is a landmark in the desegregation of American universities and highlighted the growing power of federal enforcement to uphold civil rights.