Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Keynote UA’s ‘Opening Doors’ Commemoration; Program to Benefit Scholarships

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will give the keynote address at The University of Alabama’s commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the first successful enrollment of African-American students at the University this June. Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy Sr., was a key player in the desegregation of the University as U.S. Attorney General in 1963.

A three-day program, known as “Opening Doors: 40th Year Commemoration,” is planned for June 9-11 to remember the events of June 11, 1963 when Vivian Malone (now Vivian Malone Jones) and James Hood enrolled at UA despite then Gov. George Wallace’s “stand in the schoolhouse door.”

Kennedy will speak Tuesday, June 10, at 8 p.m. in the Moody Music Concert Hall. His talk will be part of a “Pioneer Recognition Program,” recognizing 40 outstanding “pioneers” whose lives epitomize the principles that were so crystallized by the events at that crucial time in UA’s history.

“The Tuesday night dinner and program will be gala events to raise funds for scholarships for UA students. These events will be by reservation only; however, there will also be numerous free events and opportunities for the public to take part in marking this important anniversary,” said Samory Pruitt, chair of the “Opening Doors” planning committee.

Kennedy is an attorney and an environmental activist. He serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at the Environmental Litigation Clinic at Pace University School of Law in New York.

A graduate of Harvard University, Kennedy studied at the London School of Economics, received his law degree at the University of Virginia Law School, and earned a master’s degree in environmental law at Pace University School of Law. He is the author of Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr., A Biography (1977) and co-author of The Riverkeepers (1997).

Events on the evening of June 10 will begin with a Pioneer Scholarship Dinner at 6 p.m. The dinner and the Pioneer Recognition Program will benefit UA’s existing scholarships in honor of Autherine Lucy Foster, the first African-American student to attempt to enter UA in 1956; Vivian Malone Jones and James Hood. Attendance is by reservation only.

Sponsorship levels for the dinner and program include:

• Opening Doors Sponsor — $10,000, includes VIP table at Pioneer Dinner (6 tickets), Pioneer as guest at the table, VIP seating at the Pioneer Recognition Program, recognition in the commemorative program and recognition in all event materials
• Pioneer Sponsor — $5,000, includes VIP table at Pioneer Dinner (6 tickets), Pioneer as guest at the table, VIP seating at the Pioneer Recognition Program and recognition in the commemorative program
• Table Sponsor — $2,500, includes table at Pioneer Dinner (6 tickets), Pioneer as guest at the table, reserved seating at the Pioneer Recognition Program and recognition in the commemorative program
• Individual Reservation — $250, includes one ticket to Pioneer Dinner, Pioneer as guest at dinner table and reserved seating at the Pioneer Recognition Program.

Reservations may be made by sending checks payable to The University of Alabama (indicating desired level of participation) to The University of Alabama, Box 870100, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0100. Please include return address.

The “Opening Doors” program will begin Monday, June 9, with a reception for Pioneers, speakers, community leaders and other invited guests.

On Tuesday, June 10, the College of Communication and Information Sciences will host a symposium titled “Media and the Moment” from 10 a.m.-noon at the Bryant Conference Center.

Events will continue on Wednesday, June 11, with a youth program at Ferguson Theatre from 1-2:30 p.m. African-American alumni will have a chance to share their experiences at the “Opening Doors Symposium: Reflections from African-American Alumni, 1956-2000” from 3-4:30 p.m. in Ferguson Theatre.

The three-day program will culminate with a community dinner on the Quad at 5:30 p.m. followed by a procession to Foster Auditorium for a candlelight vigil and culminating program.

For more information, visit the UA Web site at http://www.ua.edu/openingdoors/ or contact Samory Pruitt, chair of the “Opening Doors” planning committee, at 205/348-8375.