Pollie Myers Hudson

Polly Myers Hudson (née Myers; July 14, 1932 – March 17, 2003) was, along with Autherine Lucy, the first African American admitted to the University of Alabama in 1952. Myers created the plan of applying for admission and convinced Lucy to apply with Myers. Lucy later said, "I thought she was joking at first, I really did." Myers and Hudson first applied on September 19, 1952. They were both accepted, but the University backtracked once they became aware of the applicants' race. Myers died in Detroit in 2003.[1][2][3][4]

Early life

Myers was born on July 14, 1932, to Alice Lamb and Henry Myers. She attended the historically black college of Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama.[5]

Application to the University of Alabama

On September 24, 1952 Hudson, and close friend Autherine Lucy, applied to the University of Alabama without indicating their race and were accepted. The idea had been hatched by Hudson, who convinced the hesitant Lucy to go along with the plot.[6] Lucy later said, "I thought she was joking at first, I really did."[7] The newspaper, the Birmingham World, which Hudson worked at, celebrated their admission on the front page. Realizing who the applicants were, the University soon began to backtrack. On October 10, 1955 the Supreme Court ordered the University to admit the two women.[8] Over three years later, the University allowed Lucy to attend on the condition that Myers could not. They claimed that Myers could not attend the school due to the fact that she had married after she had become pregnant out of wedlock.

Personal life

Myers was married twice. Her second marriage was to Robert Pinkins.[9] Myers died in Detroit, Michigan in 2003.

See also

References
  1. "Taking on the University of Alabama - Alternative Rhetoric". Alternativerhetoric.web.unc.edu.
  2. Kuettner, Al (12 January 2019). "March to a Promised Land: The Civil Rights Files of a White Reporter, 1952-1968". Capital Books – via Google Books.
  3. "Education: Alabama's Scandal". Content.time.com. 20 February 1956. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  4. "An Indomitable Spirit: Autherine Lucy". National Museum of African American History and Culture. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-01-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Taking on the University of Alabama - Alternative Rhetoric". Alternativerhetoric.web.unc.edu. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  7. https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/indomitable-spirit-autherine-lucy
  8. Kueltter, Al (2006). March to a Promised Land: The Civil Rights Files of a White Reporter, 1952-1968. United States: Capital Books. p. 23. ISBN 978-1933102283.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2019-01-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.