Dedication of Malone-Hood Plaza Tomorrow

Tomorrow (Nov 3), several historic events will be taking place on campus. As most of you are probably aware, the University recently completed renovations of Foster Auditorium, including the construction of Malone-Hood Plaza and the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower. I'm sure most of you already know this, but Foster Auditorium is where Alabama Governor George Wallace made his infamous "stand in the schoolhouse door" in an attempt to prevent the segregation of UA. The entire area around Foster Auditorium has now been transformed into a monument to the progress that both the State of Alabama and the University of Alabama have made on the race relations front. The University is holding a couple of events tomorrow to dedicate the new plaza and clock tower.

Panel Discussion on UA's Desegregation

• A panel discussion including Autherine Lucy Foster, James Hood and a family member of the late Vivian Malone Jones (Foster, Hood, and Jones were the first three African American students to attend UA) will take place tomorrow at 9 a.m. in the Ferguson Student Center Ballroom. This will be a great opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of the events that lead up to the desegregation of UA. A ticket is required to attend (FREE tickets are available at crimsonartstickets.com).

Dedication of Malone-Hood Plaza and Autherine Lucy Clock Tower

• The dedication ceremony (open to students, faculty, and staff) will take place at 1pm in Malone-Hood Plaza. The community at large is invited to a 2pm celebration at the plaza that will include musical performances by the Alabama Brass Quintet and the Afro-American Gospel Choir.

I would encourage all of you to attend these events if at all possible. As a native Alabamian, it gives me great pride to see the progress that my state has made in the past 50 years. I believe that these events epitomize that progress.