Foster's Auditorium

I pass by this place every morning on my way to work. Its the location where Gov. Wallace, in 1963, made his infamous stand on the schoolhouse steps in order to bar Vivian Malone and James Hood's entry into the school because they were black. This stand didn't exactly come as a surprise, he was making good on his governorship campaign promise "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever". John F. Kennedy, in anticipation of George Wallace's stand, deployed the national gaurd.

Wallace may have been many things, but he certainly wasn't a visoinary. While people are still segregated and racism still lingers, the stated policies of the University have changed to be inclusive. With a changed policy, now, it seems to me that the University of Alabama is not sure what to do about this place that represents an old policy. Although the outside of the building looks respectable, unlike other buildings, it hasn't been renovated on the inside. I've gone inside to use the restroom once, and I felt like I was stepping back into the 60s. As far as I could tell, the building was empty. I started to go upstairs, and I found some ripped caution tape hanging from the railing and old newspapers scattered on the floor. It was pretty eerie... all the lights were on but it looked as if no one had used the building in awhile.

I can see why the University is not sure what to do with this place. To celebrate the building is a constant reminder of what role the University had in the civil rights era. But you do want to celebrate the role of Malone and Hood and countless others who took the opposite stand. And you don't want to forget -- many people can't forget. But it seems that the University if anything, is erring on the side of forgetting. There is a plaque on front of the auditorium remembering the schoolhouse stand -- but this was placed on the building until 2006. The building is not being remodeled to keep up with the rest of the school. Maybe one day it will, but right now it looks rather lonely and forgotten. The UA Website says that women's athletics used to be in Fosters until 1980, and then the Department of Kinesology was in Fosters until 2006. Did the Kinesology department leave the building when the plaque went up? What is the University planning on doing with this place? I don't think they can tear the building down because it is on the historic registry. But if they could, should they? Shouldn't they use the building as more than storage? It seems that remembering, while painful, is necessary. But how to remember is beyond me and my understanding.