Autherine Lucy Foster, first Black UA student, to receive honorary doctorate from Miles College

Autherine Lucy Foster, seen here speaking at the unveiling of a campus historical marker in her honor in 2017, will receive an honorary doctoral degree Friday. …

Autherine Lucy Foster, seen here speaking at the unveiling of a campus historical marker in her honor in 2017, will receive an honorary doctoral degree Friday. Lucy Foster was the first African American to attend The University of Alabama. Photo courtesy of University of Alabama website.

by: Shannon Robinson

Posted: Aug 14, 2020 / 04:29 PM CDT

Updated: Aug 14, 2020 / 04:29 PM CDT

FAIRFIELD, Ala. (WIAT) — Miles College announced that they will honor Autherine Lucy Foster with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Foster, a retired educator, is a 1952 alumna of Miles College and the first African-American to enroll and attend the University of Alabama.

The President of Miles College, Bobbie Knight, said it is with great honor that they award Foster with an honorary degree from the college she graduated from decades ago.

“We recognize and embrace the significant contribution she has made in America’s history, and we believe she embodies the true spirit of a Milean. In honoring her with this degree, we are expressing our appreciation, and we are sending a message to our student body that following one’s dreams, against all odds, leads to great things,” said Knight.

“Mrs. Autherine Lucy Foster is a living legend and trailblazer. Her courage as a young adult and throughout her life is evidence of faith, tenaciousness, and determination. We are all beneficiaries of the sacrifices she made to breakdown racial barriers in education,” said Bishop Theresa Jefferson-Snorton, the chairman of the Miles College Board of Trustees

This is Fosters second honorary doctorate degree from an institution in the state of Alabama.

The invitation-only ceremony will be held on Aug. 19 at 11 a.m.