My history lesson

A few days ago I strolled around the campus of the University of Alabama. It is a very attractive campus with a great quad. I wandered and read a lot of the historical markers outside of buildings or areas including the president's mansion which in appearance is a stark contrast from the rest of the campus and is one of the few buildings that was not destroyed by Union troops in the Civil War. However, the one spot that was the most powerful was the entryway to Foster Auditorium. This was the site where in 1963 Governor George Wallace stood and gave a speech to stop desegregation of the school and was forced, by the Alabama National Guard troops (among others) to allow two African-American students to register for classes. For those too young to remember the actual event, you probably remember the scene in the movie Forest Gump depicting the event. Also, NPR did a program on the 4oth anniversary of the event and you can see that there was a lot of behind the scenes action.

The building is currently in a deteriorating state and is slated to be restored but is not at the top of the University's list. Eventually this important piece of American history will be given a proper face lift. All in all, it was incredible to stand on the spot and think about what a turning point it was for the country.