Auburn University Desegregates
Original Lecture Date and Time: September 12, 2006 at 4PM
Location: Special Collections & Archives, Ralph Brown Draughon Library
Speakers: Martin T. Olliff and Harold A Franklin
About the Speakers
Martin T. Olliff recieved his Ph.D. degree from Auburn University, currently directs the Archives of Wiregrass History and Culture at Troy University, Dothan Campus, and is author of "Just Another Day on the Plains: The Desegregation of Auburn University", which appeared in the Alabama Review (April 2001)
Harold A. Franklin recieved a bachelor's degree in history from Alabama State University, enrolled as Auburn University's first African American student two years later, and in 1974 earned his masters degree from the Graduate School of Internation Studies at the University of Denver.
About the Lecture
On January 4, 1964, Harold A. Franklin became the first African-American to enroll at Auburn University. His action was a defining moment in the confrontations between pro- and anti-segregation sentiments within the university community, among the citizens of Alabama, between black applicants and the university, and between the federal courts and state government. It also represented a signal event in the life of the young man who broke the color barrier at Auburn.