Thread by @GuyEmersonMount

On Wednesday after 51 years, Harold Franklin, the student activist who integrated @AuburnU in 1964, defended his 1969 M.A. thesis w/ the unanimous approval of the faculty @Auburn_History. Hear him tell his story in confronting institutional racism & why #reparations are still due

Here is the first part of the M.A. defense where Dr. Franklin tells the story of why he decided to work with @NAACP attorney Fred Gray to desegregate #Auburn and the racism my department inflicted upon him while he was here.

For a longer version of the desegregation process at Auburn that contextualizes it within the wider Civil Rights Movement see Dr. Franklin in conversation with Auburn's head of Special Collections Martin T. Olliff here diglib.auburn.edu/150th/series/a…

For more on Dr. Franklin's lifelong devotion to peace, justice, and equality check out this series of audio interviews given by Dr. Franklin and put out by @AUAlumniAssoc #WarEagle

Here is the 2nd part of the M.A. defense that includes questions from faculty members, including myself and thesis committee member @AustinMcCoy3, about what remains to be done at Auburn and in the state of Alabama to undo the legacy of slavery & Jim Crow.

While no apology can undo the harm my department caused Dr. Franklin or absolve it of its responsibility to make things right now, here is the official apology of the @Auburn_History department as read by thesis committee chair, Dr. Keith Hebert

It is followed by the moment that Dr. Franklin receives his degree. Not his honorary degree. His actual degree. The degree he earned 51 years ago but was denied to him because is was a descendant of the enslaved peoples that built America. @nhannahjones

To be clear, this apology is not a closure but an opening. It is not a finish line but a starting point. This is about new relationships, institutional transformation, structural change, and a culture of ongoing responsibility to help heal the harm that our predecessors caused.

We didn't do this for praise so PLEASE don't offer any. It is not a self-congratulatory moment for any of us at Auburn. We did this because it is the right thing to do and we hope it will inspire others to take real meaningful steps towards reparative justice.

If Dr. Franklin's struggle touched you (there was not a dry eye in the house, trust me) please engage in the reparative process wherever you are. Right the wrongs that you caused and right the wrongs that you didn't cause. #Reparations are THE Civil Rights Movement of today.

There will be more coming out in the months and years ahead as we continue to work with Dr. Franklin and the whole Auburn family to address the university's historical ties to slavery and Jim Crow. #Twitterstorians and #BlkTwitterstorians: Love and solidarity! Keep pushing!