Autherine Lucy - Women's History Month - 20

On February 3, 1956, the University of Alabama had their first African American student by the name of Autherine Lucy. But her story is not so simple.

Lucy had already received her teaching certificate from Miles Collage in Birmingham, Alabama. Joined by her friend Pollie Anne Myers, she applied for graduate school. The university accepted their applications on September 13, 1952 without realizing their ethnicity and later sent a letter from the Dean of Admissions saying there was a mistake.

Lucy and Myers took it to the courts, during which time, Brown v. Board of Education ruled segregation in schools illegal (1954). Thurgood Marshall, who would later go on to become the first African American Supreme Court Justice, was one of Lucy’s lawyers. One year later, Lucy and Myers were heard in court and won their case. In protest of the decision, the University hired investigators and found that Myers had been pregnant out of wedlock at the time of application, a violation of the school’s moral codes, and her admission was voided.

Over three years after being accepted into the University, Lucy was finally able to walk onto campus as a student, though dormitory and dining privileges were withheld. Three days into her semester, mobs threatened her so much so that the Board of Trustees voted to remove Lucy, claiming it was for her own protection. Lucy’s lawyers suggested the school was at fault and did not attempt to suppress the mob. Due to these claims, the school accused Lucy of defaming the school and the administration, which was the legal grounds for her expulsion.

Thirty-two years after Lucy was expelled, faculty members implored the university to reverse Lucy's expulsion. In 1989, Lucy returned to the university to begin her master's degree in elementary education the same year her daughter Grazia started her undergraduate studies. Finally, in 1992, mother and daughter attended commencement together to receive their degrees.

: left to right, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Autherine Lucy [LOC]

Women's Rights Historical Park