Fifty-five years ago, Autherine Lucy became the first African-American to enroll at The University of Alabama. Lucy’s attendance at he University was met with much opposition from the community, and hostile conditions led to her expulsion due to what the University alleged was their inability to provide sufficient protection for her as a student.
Seven years later, Gov. George Wallace stood in the door of Foster Auditorium to prevent the enrollment of two African American students – Vivian Malone and James Hood. Since 1963, the racial climate at the University has evolved tremendously.
Blacks have held positions in student government, hold high-ranking positions as faculty members, and make up the pedigree in some winning sport programs at the University, including basketball and football. However the actions of one UA student, and, more importantly, the response from President Witt and university officials, will prove just how far we’ve come.
Like many other students, I do not believe that President Witt’s 63-word e-mail did enough to describe the incident that happened last Friday or repudiate such behavior. Without identifying the word used, President Witt described the term as being “offensive to our community, and ‘especially upsetting’ to African-Americans.” Given the history of this great country and the incidents that took place on this campus so many years ago, this behavior is beyond offensive. It is deplorable, appalling, shocking and unacceptable to say the least.
A 147-word e-mail sent by SGA President James Fowler on Monday did more to describe and promote voting for seven-day alcohol sales than any university official’s response or repudiation to this incident. President Witt says that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken. What is appropriate disciplinary action for such an incident?
In the recent past such behavior has been masked with cowardly anonymity, which has made disciplinary action virtually impossible.
Friday’s perpetrator has boldly challenged the progress of this university, this city and a movement that spans many decades and costs many people their lives. Any action less than expulsion is a slap in the face to the pioneers of this movement, is disingenuous to the courage and resolve of Autherine Lucy, Vivian Malone Jones and James Hood, and is a message of indifference to every minority student enrolled at the University. I implore the University to inform it’s students of such action when it is finally taken. To simply shake a finger at an incident of such magnanimous proportion is the equivalent to placing Governor Wallace back in front of the doors of Foster Auditorium. There is no system of development and growth on this planet where “backwards” is a sign of forward progress.
Samuel L. White is a senior majoring in telecommunication and film.
