James Alexander Hood was a pioneering African American civil rights activist and educator, best known for his role in desegregating the University of Alabama in 1963. Born in Gadsden, Alabama, to Octavie and Margaret Hughes Hood, James grew up in a working-class family, with his father employed as a tractor operator at a Goodyear tire plant. He had two brothers, Arthur Janes and Laymon, and a sister, Ramona Denise Hood Thomas. A standout athlete and student leader at Carver High School in Tuscaloosa, Hood graduated in 1961 and initially enrolled at Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), a historically Black institution in Atlanta. Driven by a desire to pursue a degree in clinical psychology—unavailable at Clark—and a commitment to dismantling racial barriers during the Jim Crow era, he applied to the University of Alabama.
On June 11, 1963, at the age of 20, Hood, alongside Vivian Malone, became one of the first African American students to enroll at the University of Alabama, defying Governor George C. Wallace’s infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.” Wallace physically blocked the entrance to Foster Auditorium to uphold his segregationist pledge, but federal intervention, including President John F. Kennedy’s federalization of the Alabama National Guard, forced Wallace to step aside. Hood and Malone, escorted by federal marshals and accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, successfully registered for classes, marking a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. The event, captured on national television, symbolized the federal government’s commitment to enforcing desegregation following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling.
Hood’s time at the University of Alabama was brief and fraught with challenges. Housed on a dormitory floor guarded by federal marshals, he faced intense hostility, including receiving a dead black cat in the mail and threats of expulsion for a speech criticizing Wallace and the university. Compounded by his father’s cancer diagnosis, these pressures led Hood to leave after two months to avoid a “complete mental and physical breakdown.” He transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and police administration, later obtaining a master’s degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University in 1972.
Hood’s career reflected his dedication to public service and education. In the 1970s, he served as a deputy police chief under Detroit Mayor Coleman Young. He later moved to Wisconsin, where he worked for 26 years at Madison Area Technical College, retiring in 2002 as chairman of public safety services, overseeing police and fire training. In 1995, Hood returned to the University of Alabama to pursue a doctorate in interdisciplinary studies, completing his Ph.D. in 1997. During this period, he forged an unexpected friendship with George Wallace, who had since apologized for his segregationist past. Hood interviewed Wallace extensively for a book project and believed his remorse was sincere, even requesting that Wallace present his doctoral degree, though Wallace’s poor health prevented this. Hood attended Wallace’s funeral in 1998, advocating for forgiveness.
Hood’s legacy was honored by the University of Alabama in 2010 with the dedication of the Malone-Hood Plaza in front of Foster Auditorium, recognizing his and Malone’s courage. He retired to his hometown of Gadsden, where he died on January 17, 2013, at age 70, from complications of a stroke. He was survived by his daughters, Mary Hood and Jacquelyn Hood-Duncan, and sons, Darrell, Anthony, and Marvis Hood. James Hood’s bravery in confronting institutionalized racism at a young age, his resilience in the face of adversity, and his later efforts to foster reconciliation left an enduring impact on the fight for educational equality and civil rights in America.