Autherine Lucy was born on October 5, 1929 in Shiloh, Alabama, USA. She was married to Hugh Lawrence Foster. She died on February 2, 2022 in Lipscomb, Alabama, USA.
First Black student to enroll at the University of Alabama. In 1956 she briefly attended classes at the then all-white university until she was expelled three days later after her presence brought protests and threats against her life.
She earned a masters degree in education in 1992 from the University of Alabama. In 2019 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university.
In 2022 the University of Alabama dedicated the campus building where she briefly attended classes in 1956 in her honor naming it Autherine Lucy Hall.