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American civil rights pioneer James Hood passes away

American civil rights pioneer James Hood passes away

THE death has taken place of American civil rights pioneer James Hood. He was 70.

Mr. Hood had earned his place in the history of civil rights activism when on June 11, 1963, he and Vivian Malone walked up to the entrance of the University of Alabama intending to become the first black students at the institution.

In the doorway stood the then State Governor George Wallace accompanied by a number of State Troopers (see below). Mr. Wallace, who had been elected on his promise of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”, refused to let the would-be students pass.

The Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach then told Wallace to step aside, but the Governor refused. Mr. Katzenbach telephoned President John F. Kennedy who ordered the National Guard to clear the doorway.

Governor Wallace left the area after the arrival of the Guardsmen and Mr. Hood and Miss Malone were then allowed to register for classes.

Mr. Hood attended the university for only a few months before moving to Michigan to complete his studies. However, he returned to the University of Alabama in the mid-1990s to complete a doctorate in education. He had worked for many years at a technical college in Wisconsin.

The events of that day in June, 1963, are regarded as having been symbolically important in the campaign to sweep away racial segregation in the American south. Mr. Hood said he felt he had no choice but to make his stand (see below).

George Wallace would live to regret his actions on that infamous day. The former governor, who was left paralysed after surviving an assassination attempt in 1972, eventually apologised to Mr. Hood. In 1996 the pair met again when they shook hands in an act of reconciliation.

Mr. Hood, who passed away in his hometown of Gadsden in Alabama, had been the last surviving figure from the so-called ‘Stand In The Schoolhouse Door’ incident — George Wallace died in 1998 and Vivian Malone in 2005.

To view archive footage of the ‘Stand In The Schoolhouse Door’ incident, click here.

To see excerpts from an interview given by Mr. Hood, click here.

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