Vivian Malone Jones
Vivian Juanita Malone Jones (born July 15, 1942 in Mobile - died October 13, 2005 in Atlanta, Georgia) was one of the first two African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, made famous when Governor George Wallace blocked them from enrolling at the all-white university. She was later the Director of Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Director of Environmental Justice for the Environmental Protection Agency.
On June 11, 1963, in a ceremonial demonstration, Wallace stood in front of the university's Foster Auditorium and delivered a short speech in support of state sovereignty. Malone arrived to pay her fees, accompanied by James Hood and U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach. Wallace, backed by Alabama State Troopers, refused them entry. President Kennedy nationalized the Alabama National Guard later the same day, which put them under the command of the President, rather than the Governor. Guardsmen escorted Malone and Hood back to the auditorium, where Wallace moved aside at the request of General Henry Graham. Malone and Hood then entered the building, albeit through another door.
Two years later, Malone received a bachelor of arts in business management and joined the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 1996, she retired as director of civil rights and urban affairs and director of environmental justice for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In October 1996, she was chosen by the George Wallace Family Foundation to be the first recipient of its "Lurleen B. Wallace Award of Courage". At the ceremony, Wallace said, "Vivian Malone Jones was at the center of the fight over states' rights and conducted herself with grace, strength and, above all, courage."1. In 2000, the University of Alabama bestowed on her a doctorate of humane letters.
Jones died at the age of 63 of complications from a stroke. Her funeral services were held at the Martin Luther King, Jr International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta. She was married to Mack Jones, a physician, who died in 2004. She was survived by a son, a daughter, three grandchildren, four sisters and three brothers. She was a faithful member of From the Heart Church Ministries of Atlanta where she served as an usher. She was the sister-in-law of Eric Holder, the current U.S. Attorney General.
External links
References
- "Vivian Malone Jones." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Feb 2009, 05:58 UTC. 26 Mar 2009 [1].
- Blaustein, Albert P. (1991) Civil Rights and African Americans: A Documentary History. Chicago, Illinois: Northwestern University Press. ISBN 0810109204
- "Alabama segregation date approaches" (June 8, 2003) USA Today
- "Civil rights pioneer Vivian Jones dies" (October 13, 2005) USA Today
- Washington Post obit