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When we think of female civil rights activists, Rosa Parks is the first name to come to mind. Her inspirational defiance of racial segregation laws is a deservedly notorious event and as we approach the twentieth year since her passing on 24 October 2005, I’m sure that her story will attract even more admirers. A lesser-known female activist died just eleven days before Parks, yet her story has not received the attention it deserves. Her name was Vivian Malone Jones.

Born in 1942 in Mobile, Alabama, the Civil Rights Movement was always close to home for Malone. Her parents, who both worked on Brookley Air Force Base, actively participated in the Movement by attending meetings, giving donations and taking part in community projects. Malone followed in her parents footsteps, involving herself with local organisations as a teenager, with the aim of ending racial segregation. This work prepared her for what would be her greatest legacy: the fight to attend the University of Alabama.

After graduating from high school, Malone attended Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University in 1961, a college largely made up of black students. She received a bachelor’s degree in business education following two years of study. However, her qualification wasn’t officially recognised. For an accredited degree, she would have to attend the University of Alabama, an institution which had previously rejected 200 black students, including Malone, on the basis of ‘over-enrollment.’ This didn’t discourage her, for she was determined to get her degree. She continued to apply to the university, but with no avail.

Thankfully, the law was on her side – racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional as a result of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. With help from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Malone, along with James A. Hood, another student the organisation were working with, fought long and hard to be allowed to enroll. After two years of legal battles, both students were granted the right to attend the university in 1963. 

On 11 June of that year, Malone and Hood stepped foot on campus with the U.S. Deputy Attorney General and several federal marshals in tow. Even with the Kennedy administration’s security measures in place, they were unprepared for the Governor of Alabama, George Wallace’s, actions. A staunch supporter of segregation, Wallace blocked the university entrance and refused to move. In what is known as Wallace’s Schoolhouse Door Speech, he described Malone and Hood’s presence as an “unwelcomed, unwanted, unwarranted and force-induced intrusion.” Wallace was clearly not going to back down, so the Deputy Attorney General asked for President Kennedy to force Wallace to move. Even with legal support that should grant Malone equal access to education, she still faced barriers. Integration proved to be a slow process. This was a terrifying experience, especially considering the violent reactions from white supremacists in response to James Meredith’s application to the University of Mississippi only a few months before. “I was never afraid,” she said. Malone’s drive and perseverance despite it all is astounding.

During her time at the University of Alabama, Malone felt “lonely,” as she states in her Commencement Address at the institution in 2000. Malone faced multiple threats to her safety, the most serious of these occurring in November 1963. Four bombs exploded, each on separate occasions and one just four blocks away from her dormitory. Despite this traumatic event, Malone recalled in an interview with The Post-Standard in 2004: “I decided not to show any fear and went to classes that day.” 

Both Hood and Malone faced discrimination from their fellow students as well. Malone remembered how white students would refuse to meet her eyes or smile at her. Unfortunately, Hood dropped out of university due to the mental effects of this hostility. Malone refused to give in, and in 1965 graduated with a degree in business management. This made her the first black student to graduate from the University of Alabama.

Unlike her classmates, Malone was not offered a single job in Alabama, forcing her to move. She ended up in Washington D.C., where she joined the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice. She later became the Director of Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and Director of Environmental Justice for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a position she remained in until her retirement in 1996. She dedicated her life to civil rights activism.

Vivian Malone Jones’ story is filled with courage and perseverance. She never let her dreams be denied of her despite the constant backlash she faced for simply existing. In her Commencement Address, she attributes her successes to preparation, as she does for Rosa Parks: “It wasn’t some accident we celebrate in her life, but a life made ready by quiet determination and preparation.” Everyone who came before her, and everything she had done prior to 11 June 1963 had readied her to act, regardless of the danger. However, Malone’s choice to act was also her own. Her fearless character holds firm throughout her life, never wavering in pursuit of her goals. 20 years on, her strength remains an inspiration.