The Long and Winding Arc of George Wallace

George Wallace held and ran for more than one prominent elected position, which left us with more than a few notable historical moments of racial foolishness. Famously pledging, “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!”, dramatically opposing integration by blocking the entrance to the University of Alabama to Black students and more; the life of Wallace was full of ups and downs.

For this session of History Bites, we look at a political figure that fascinates and infuriates us at the same time. George Wallace was the epitome of Southern heritage and racial discrimination, yet his views somewhat changed during the latter part of his life. Together, we’ll look at how some of the significant moments of Alabama's history were tied to a charismatic Southern politician who reveled in the attention, then lost the grip he had on his supporters.