U.S. Civil Rights Trail: Tuscaloosa

Consisting of locations across the country that were important to the Civil Rights Movement, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail offers an interactive guide to Civil Rights education. First stop on the trail for me- Tuscaloosa, home to The University of Alabama, my alma mater, and home to Foster Auditorium.

Screenshot of Alabama from U.S. Civil Rights Trail Interactive Map

“Vivian Malone, one of the first African Americans to attend the university, walks through a crowd that includes photographers, National Guard members, and Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach.” [Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine Restored by Adam Cuerden — This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.05542. ]

Foster Auditorium, the site of the infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” where on June 11,1963, Governor George Wallace blocked Vivian Malone and James Hood from entering the building where they could enroll in school. Wallace refused to desegregate the University of Alabama even after almost ten years since Brown v Board of Education (1954) ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Wallace wouldn’t back down until President Kennedy issued an executive order calling the AL National Guard to protect the students so they could enter. Wallace eventually moved so Malone and Hood could enter to complete their registration. “This event marked a victory for integration, and Kennedy’s intercession sent a powerful message to segregationist officials across the country” (civilrightstrail.com).

The National Historic Landmark auditorium was renovated in 2010. The Malone Hood Plaza and Autherine Lucy Clock Tower were dedicated later that year.

I wanted to revisit this area because the renovation and plaza were done after I left campus. But I admit that even though I was vaguely familiar with the story I never connected it to campus. When I attended UA and passed Foster Auditorium almost daily I never realized its significance nor acknowledged the countless Black men and women who were denied admission before Malone and Hood’s historical civil rights victory. It’s an example of my white privilege that I am able to be so removed from oppressive struggles and to benefit from a university and institution with a history of segregation and further back, slavery.

Foster Auditorium & Malone Hood Plaza, photo by Sara Leibold

Plaques on the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower

Then as I was leaving campus I remembered that I had recently learned about Dr. Hilary Green’s Hallowed Grounds tour about the history of slavery on campus. Dr. Green created the tour in 2016 to “shed light onto the lives, experiences, and legacy of the many enslaved men, women, and children who lived, worked, and even died at The University of Alabama, 1829–1865” (The Hallowed Grounds Project). Since they are not offering tours at the moment I still wanted to find the marker and plaque about two men who were enslaved by the university and are supposedly buried on campus. Again, showing my privilege, I wasn’t aware of the marker or history when I was a student there.

Screenshot of UA campus map with my addition of location of marker

The marker nor cemetery are listed on any map of campus and after searching online and calling two departments on campus without any luck I headed toward where I thought it might be located. Hidden behind a covered construction fence I spotted the monument beside the math and science education building on Hackberry Lane. The fence had a gate that opened so I was able to go up to the marker.

“Following a coalition movement spearheaded by law professor Al Brophy, the University apologized for slavery in 2004 and erected this apology marker in 2006.” (Hallowed Grounds Tour)

The marker stands in front of a small cemetery where a former professor’s (Pratt) family is buried. It is said that the rest of the cemetery might lie under the building or that the enslaved men’s graves might have been disinterred during construction. It remains a mystery. You can learn more in this article, “The University Graves Mystery.”

I hope to attend a Hallowed Grounds tour in the future to further my education and then share with others to help elevate this important history. I also contacted the university to request them to add this site to their official map of campus so others are aware of its existence and have an easier time finding it than I did. This is part of the university’s past, and Jack Rudolph, William Brown, and the other enslaved peoples working on campus should be remembered and not forgotten.

The marker in front of a small cemetery where the Pratt family is buried

Next I went down to The Park at Manderson Landing where the new sculpture for Tuscaloosa’s bicentennial is located. The path leading to the sculpture shares historic moments.

I plan to visit other sites along the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in Alabama and elsewhere to continue my education. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice & The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration located in Montgomery are at the top of my list to visit.

2022 update: U.S. Civil Rights Trail: Montgomery

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This article was originally written on Sara’s website.