With race relations in America troubled on this Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, it’s a good day to remind ourselves that the present needn’t dictate the future. Our country has been through more difficult times, and it will be through our commitment to justice and reconciliation that we’ll continue toward a more perfect union. Today it’s worth celebrating the legacy of Autherine Lucy Foster, the first black student to enroll at the University of Alabama. Now age 88, Foster came to UA in 1956, hoping to earn a teaching degree. She had to fight a legal battle to attend the university, and she was represented by Thurgood Marshall, a young lawyer go on to become a Supreme Court justice. Bob Greene at The Wall Street Journal gives some history: When she showed up for classes, she was met by rioters, both students and townspeople. Her life was threatened: The mobs hurled objects at her, followed her down the street as she tried to get to classrooms, screamed vile epithets at her. Police officers were called in to protect her. While in class, she could hear the crowds gathered outside angrily chanting insults. At one point she had to find shelter in the…
See original post: OP-ED: Keeping Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream Alive