This Day in History: , University of Alabama Is Desegregated.
June 11, 1963.
Alabama Governor George Wallace
finally ended his blockade of two black students
into the university located in Tuscaloosa.
During his inaugural address,
Wallace infamously declared for
Alabama, "Segregation now!
Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!".
His statement was a reaction to the
recent U.S. Supreme Court decision,
Brown vs. Board of Education,
in which segregation was ruled unconstitutional.
Wallace and his state troopers
were forced to stand down after
President John F. Kennedy federalized and
deployed the National Guard to the campus.
Vivian Malone and James A. Hood
were finally permitted to enroll.
In September, Wallace
would attempt the same tactic
at an Alabama high school. The National Guard
was again deployed and Wallace again relented