AUTHERINE LUCY (1956) Set of 4 photos

[New York]: UPI, 1956. Four vintage original black-and-white photos, mostly 10 x 8″ (25 x 20 cm), all with mimeographed text and date stamps on verso, near fine.

In 1956, Autherine Lucy was the first African American to attend the University of Alabama. She attended her first class on Friday, February 3, 1956. The Ku Klux Klan began burning crosses nightly on the university campus. On Monday, February 6, riots broke out on the campus and a mob of more than a thousand men yelled and pelted the car in which the Dean of Women drove Lucy between classes. Threats were made against her life and the University president’s home was stoned. 

At the Education Library building, Lucy locked herself in a room and prayed for strength, fearing the mob would kill her. The police were called and she slipped away in a patrol car when the mob was distracted by someone else who was supposed to pick her up. After the riots, the University suspended Lucy from school, using the excuse that this was necessary for the safety of Lucy and other students. (Wikipedia)

One photo shows Lucy with Eleanor Roosevelt.