The big question is, of course, what will happen when another Negro arrives at Tuscaloosa. The answer is dependent on "if's."
The Big 'If's'
If the NAACP is more circumspect and refrains from staging an extravaganza, a Negro would probably meet no student resistance of important proportions. This is due primarily to the effects of the February riots. Probably the great majority of the students who participated in the demonstrations had no idea that their action would have such national and international repercussions. No one wishes to be characterized as a mobster, and only after the rioting was over did what had happened become clear. Students also realize that the reputation of the school was badly injured by the incident. Moreover, there is not only the threat of disciplinary action against rowdies, but the reality. So long as the next Negro does not antagonize white students, it is probable that white students will leave the Negro alone.
No matter what the NAACP and students do, however, there will be trouble unless outsiders can be kept away from the University. This is difficult if for no other reason than the US highway which bisects the campus.
Since the February riots, Citizens Councils have perfected their organization, and the Ku Klux Klan has even enjoyed a renaissance in Tuscaloosa. These people are a potential danger and a question mark, which will probably make trouble, perhaps even kill, another Autherine Lucy.
If nothing else, the events at Alabama five months ago illustrate that moderation in itself is no panacea to the South's race problem. In addition to merely admitting a carefully selected Negro, it is necessary to consider complex factors and to be prepared to deal with them. Alabama was not ready for Autherine Lucy, but it probably will never be cordial to the pioneers in integration.
The next Negro at Alabama must profit by the mistakes, however, innocent, of Miss Lucy. Probably another student should not be admitted alone, for this gives extremists an opportunity to focus their attack. One Alabama professor suggested admitting around fifteen middle-aged Negro school teachers who could scurry about the campus in fifteen different directions.
Above all, another Negro must be admitted with less ceremony from all concerned. The University was also guilty of treating Miss Lucy more like a celebrity than a student. This is not to say that the University should not be ready to meet an emergency, but it is not necessary for the Dean of Women to escort the student to class.
Likewise it is probably wise for a Negro not to ask for dormitory accommodations as Miss Lucy did. The more intimate the relations with Negroes, the less palatable they are to white Southerners. For a while, it is better for Negro leaders to be content with a little so that they may gain a lot. In Miss Lucy's case, they wanted everything, and lost it all.