At 2:20 p.m. on January 4, the Sanford Hall bell rang exactly 10 times.

While it may have been confusing to those unaware of the significance of the moment, it made sense to the small group gathered in a circular brick courtyard near the desegregation sign.

Auburn University President Christopher B. Roberts describes the 10 steps Harold A. Franklin took on that day in 1964 to enter the university library, register for classes, and officially integrate the university. He told the group that it was something he would do.

These same steps were used as a backdrop for the Jan. 9 commemorative event. A large group of invited guests, university officials, alumni, students, faculty and staff filled the atrium of the Mel classroom building. This group also included many Auburn “first-timers,” including the families of Harold Franklin, Josetta Britten Matthews, and James Owens.

“It is so fitting that we gather today at the very spot where the late Dr. Harold Franklin literally took the first steps toward integration at Auburn 60 years ago,” Auburn alumnus and Auburn said Quentin Riggins, president pro tempore of the city board. Councilor. “It all started right behind me, inside the Ralph Brown Drahon Library. As I stand here, I realize what has happened since that momentous day on January 4, 1964. It was a completely surreal moment.”

Riggins shared the podium with Roberts. Tuffy Benson Clayton Vice President and Vice Chancellor for Inclusion and Diversity; actor and alumnus Tom Gotham Jr.; Director Elizabeth Huntley; Vini Nathan, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Each shared a story about Franklin and his legacy.

start a legacy

Franklin's walk that day caused a ripple effect.

“Auburn is the perfect place to tell the story of Harold Franklin's courage,” Creighton said.

In 2021, the university commemorated Franklin's courage with a bronze plaque and a brick courtyard adjacent to the library. At the dedication ceremony, Roberts said his friend and Auburn engineering alumnus Kenneth Kelly described Franklin as a “proud man who never asked for anything but an opportunity.”

A U.S. Air Force veteran, husband, and father, Franklin was mature enough to understand that “his actions would benefit others more than he would benefit himself.” Mr. Kelly added.

And he benefited others.

Two years after Franklin integrated, Josetta Britten Matthews became the first African American to graduate. She then joined Auburn's faculty and earned her Ph.D., becoming the first person of color to earn both.

Samuel Pettyjohn Jr. followed, becoming the first African American undergraduate to graduate from Auburn University and the first African American ROTC graduate. Yvonne Lumpkin Foulkes was the first African American woman to earn her bachelor's degree.

In the decades since, others have joined Franklin, including Riggins, who last June became the first African-American to serve as president pro tempore of the board, and Tom Gotham Jr., the first African-American to walk in the Senate. continued his legacy. Auburn's football team, earns a scholarship and graduates.

one man's journey

Gotham said he was drawn to Auburn for a variety of reasons, one of which was Franklin. Six years after integration, Gotsom said he wrote down his New Year's resolution: “I'm going to attend Auburn University and play football.” That piece of paper remained in Gotsom's wallet until his 1975 graduation from Auburn University.

The 1960s were a tumultuous time, especially in the South. Alabama Governor George Wallace stood at the door of the University of Alabama trying to prevent its integration, and Martin Luther King Jr. tried to unify a fractured nation with his eloquent words. In front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Gotsom said he would be one of less than 100 African Americans to come to Auburn during the first five years of integration. His parents valued education, but he didn't know anyone at Auburn or had graduated there. He didn't know any of the football coaches and they didn't know him.

But the coaches welcomed Gotsom.

“Football is a macho thing,” he said. “When I needed to fight, I fought. When I wanted to make friends, I made friends.”

Ten months later, Auburn awarded Gotsom a full athletic scholarship. He remained a starter for the next three years. He saw more black athletes join the team. Win or lose, they all spoke highly of Auburn.

“It all came back to that core belief in the power of education and what it can do,” Gotsom said. “An Auburn education teaches us that we can not only improve ourselves and change our own circumstances, but also lead the way to a brighter future for the next generation. Ta.”

for future generations

Huntley reminded everyone of Franklin's “tenacity, perseverance, and never-to-be-afraid Auburn spirit.”

“His legacy is one firmly rooted in doing the right thing and, in turn, creating opportunities for others,” she said.

In December 2020, Franklin returned to Auburn to participate in fall commencement ceremonies. At graduation, he, like other students, was presented with a copy of the Auburn Creed and participated in a ceremony to honor Auburn's first female African American history doctoral graduate.

Huntley called it a “full circle moment.” Franklin would have received the same degree if he had been given the opportunity to properly defend his thesis at the time. Auburn gave him that long-awaited opportunity in February 2020.

Auburn continues to reflect on the accomplishments of Franklin and those who followed, including Matthews and Bessie Mae Holloway, the first African-American to serve on the board. In 2021, Auburn renamed two residence halls in the village after these pioneering women. A year later, Auburn unveiled the National Panhellenic Council Legacy Plaza, recognizing the history, heritage and cultural impact of Black Greek organizations on campus.

“The NPHC Legacy Plaza is a testament to the university's commitment to creating a more inclusive environment and the student body's desire to ensure that our peers are equally represented,” Huntley said.

Auburn also renamed the student center after Harold Melton, the first African American student government president. Huntley's own daughter, Ada Ruth, followed in Melton's footsteps and became the first African-American female SGA president in 2020.

Nathan felt a “debt of honor” to Franklin and his family. Some say Franklin was lucky to choose Auburn, but Nathan says, “Auburn was even more fortunate to choose us for our education.”

“We're grateful to have an institution that cares,” said Hayley Clayton, vice president of the Black Student Union. “We acknowledge that someone believed in Auburn, even if Auburn didn’t believe in it. And that shows current Black students and students of color, but Auburn There are all the students out there who believe in you right now. If you believe in Auburn, Auburn will believe in you.”