19 Facts About Vivian Malone

Vivian Juanita Malone Jones was one of the first two black students to enroll at the University of Alabama in 1963, and in 1965 became the university's first black graduate.

Vivian Malone was made famous when George Wallace, the Governor of Alabama, attempted to block her and James Hood from enrolling at the all-white university.

Vivian Malone's parents emphasized the importance of receiving an education and made sure that their children attended college.

Vivian Malone's parents were active in civil rights and often participated in local meetings, donations, and activities in the community that promoted equality and desegregation.

Vivian Malone attended Central High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society.

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In 1961, Vivian Malone had received word from a family friend that the local Non-Partisan Voter League had organized a plan to desegregate the University of Alabama's branch school in Mobile.

The threat to her safety did not deter Vivian Malone from continuing to support integration in the university and she persisted in applying to the University of Alabama to earn a degree in accounting.

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund of Alabama organized an opportunity with Vivian Malone to enroll her in the University of Alabama's School of Commerce and Business Administration to earn her accounting degree.

Vivian Malone went downstairs into the dining room, and was surprised to be joined by several white students, who ate lunch with her.

Vivian Malone remained in the dormitory until the situation was determined to have calmed down.

Vivian Malone's time spent at the University of Alabama was relatively free of conflict and threats to her safety, with the exception of a spree of bombings that occurred in November 1963 by rioting whites possibly angry with the integration policy.

Vivian Malone later joined the civil rights division of the US Department of Justice and served as a research analyst.

Vivian Malone took a job as an employee relations specialist at the central office of the United States Veteran's Administration.

Vivian Malone was appointed to a position as the Executive Director of the Voter Education Project in August 1977 and worked towards voter equality for minorities.

Vivian Malone helped in the piloting of Project 23, a program aimed at addressing the barriers that kept Black individuals in the state of Georgia from registering to vote or running for public office.

Vivian Malone later became the Director of Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Director of Environmental Justice for the US Environmental Protection Agency, a position she held until her retirement in 1996.

Vivian Malone first met Jones when he was hired as her driver at the University of Alabama.

Vivian Malone was a member of From the Heart Christian Ministries of Atlanta where she served as an usher.

Vivian Malone's nephew Jeff Malone was an All-American basketball student-athlete at Mississippi State University and NBA standout.