Vivian Malone Jones

Vivian Malone Jones

Vivian Malone Jones was an American civil rights figure who became one of the first two African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, successfully desegregating the institution. Her enrollment, famously opposed by Governor George Wallace in his "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door," was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement and the enforcement of desegregation in Southern public education. Jones later had a distinguished career in public service with the United States Department of Justice and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Early life and education

Vivian Juanita Malone was born on July 15, 1942, in Mobile, Alabama, to Willie Malone and Bertha Davis Malone. Her father worked at the Brookley Air Force Base, and her mother was a domestic worker. She was raised in a family that valued education, and she attended Central High School, graduating in 1960. Malone initially enrolled at Alabama A&M University, a historically black university, where she pursued a degree in business education and became a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In 1961, a federal district court ordered the University of Alabama to admit qualified African American students, leading Malone and another student, James Hood, to apply for transfer in 1963 with the support of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

University of Alabama desegregation

On June 11, 1963, Malone and James Hood arrived at the Foster Auditorium on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa to register for classes. They were accompanied by United States Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and federal marshals. Alabama Governor George Wallace, who had pledged "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" in his inaugural address, physically blocked the doorway in a symbolic protest known as the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door." President John F. Kennedy had federalized the Alabama National Guard, and General Henry V. Graham subsequently ordered Wallace to step aside, allowing Malone and Hood to enter and register. Malone was admitted to the School of Commerce and Business Administration. She faced ongoing harassment and isolation but was protected by federal marshals. On May 30, 1965, she became the first African American to graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a Bachelor of Arts in business management.

Later career and public service

After graduation, Malone Jones moved to Washington, D.C., where she began a long career in public service. She first worked for the United States Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, reviewing hiring practices of companies with federal contracts to ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1977, she joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she directed the civil rights and urban affairs offices. She worked at the EPA for over two decades, retiring as the Director of Environmental Justice. Throughout her career, she was also active with the Voter Education Project and served on the board of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Legacy and honors

Vivian Malone Jones's courageous action is considered a landmark event in the struggle for civil rights and educational equality. Her enrollment helped pave the way for full integration of Southern universities and demonstrated the federal government's commitment to enforcing court-ordered desegregation. In 2000, the University of Alabama awarded her an honorary doctorate of humane letters, and the university's board of trustees voted to name the campus plaza in front of Foster Auditorium in her and Hood's honor. The Vivian Malone Jones Award for courage was established at the University of Alabama. In 2017, a historical marker was dedicated at her childhood home in Mobile by the City of Mobile. Her story is frequently recounted in histories of the Civil Rights Movement, including in the Eyes on the Prize documentary series.

Personal life

In 1968, Vivian Malone married Mack Arthur Jones, a United States Air Force obstetrician, and she became known as Vivian Malone Jones. The couple had two children, Michael and Monica. Mack Jones died in 2004. Vivian Malone Jones died of a stroke on October 13, 2005, at the Atlanta Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She was buried in Mobile, Alabama. Her funeral was attended by many civil rights leaders and dignitaries. Her papers are housed at the University of Alabama Libraries' W.S. Hoole Special Collections.