Social Reformer. Born in Mobile, Alabama, she earned a degree at Alabama A & M, a predominantly African-American university, but since it lost its accreditation, she applied to the segregated University of Alabama. Her entrance to the university came as the civil rights struggle raged across the South. Both she and a second black student, James Hood, were escorted into the university by National Guard troops after first being barred at the door by the defiant governor, George C. Wallace. On May 30, 1965, she became the first black student to graduate from the University of Alabama in its 134 year existence, earning a degree in business management with a B+ average. After graduation, she obtained a position with the United States Justice Department as a part of its Voter Education Project. She later moved to Atlanta where she took a job with the Environmental Protection Agency, where she was director of civil rights and urban affairs. She retired in 1996. That same year, former Governor Wallace presented her with the Lurleen B. Wallace Award for Courage. He informed her that he made a mistake 33 years earlier and that he admired her. She remained active in civil rights and civic organizations, including the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta's Ben Hill United Methodist Church and the National Council of Negro Women. Her alma mater endowed a Vivian Malone Jones Scholarship Fund.
Social Reformer. Born in Mobile, Alabama, she earned a degree at Alabama A & M, a predominantly African-American university, but since it lost its accreditation, she applied to the segregated University of Alabama. Her entrance to the university came as the civil rights struggle raged across the South. Both she and a second black student, James Hood, were escorted into the university by National Guard troops after first being barred at the door by the defiant governor, George C. Wallace. On May 30, 1965, she became the first black student to graduate from the University of Alabama in its 134 year existence, earning a degree in business management with a B+ average. After graduation, she obtained a position with the United States Justice Department as a part of its Voter Education Project. She later moved to Atlanta where she took a job with the Environmental Protection Agency, where she was director of civil rights and urban affairs. She retired in 1996. That same year, former Governor Wallace presented her with the Lurleen B. Wallace Award for Courage. He informed her that he made a mistake 33 years earlier and that he admired her. She remained active in civil rights and civic organizations, including the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta's Ben Hill United Methodist Church and the National Council of Negro Women. Her alma mater endowed a Vivian Malone Jones Scholarship Fund.
Bio by: Iola
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