The first black student at the University of Alabama

Autherine Lucy Foster 1929-2022 Autherine Lucy Foster, who has died aged 92, didn’t set out to become a campaigner, said The New York Times. The child of Alabama sharecroppers, she was a shy, reserved person. But having always excelled academically, she was keen to get a good education and so, in 1952, her friend Pollie Anne Myers suggested they both apply for the University of Alabama – the state’s flagship institution. The college was all white; they were both black. “I thought she was joking at first, I really did,” Lucy Foster recalled. In September 1952, they were accepted. But a few days later, officials realised their skin colour and told them they weren’t welcome after all. So began a long legal battle, led by Thurgood Marshall and other civil rights lawyers.…

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The Week United Kingdom (Digital) - 1 Issue, 1377

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