Tuskegee Institute in Macon County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Charles Goode Gomillion

— The Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail —

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

1. Charles Goode Gomillion Marker

Inscription. Charles Goode Gomillion (1900-1995) was born on April 1, 1900, in Johnston, South Carolina. He joined the faculty at Tuskegee University in 1928, where he served as dean of students and chair of the social sciences department. He was president of the Tuskegee Civic Association when in 1957 he found out that members of the all-white city council were seeking to gerrymander the city limits in order to disenfranchise black votes. Gomillion and others alleged that the act violated the "due process" and "equal protection" clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The subsequent litigation, C. G. Gomillion, et.al. v. Phil M. Lightfoot, resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision on November 14, 1960, siding with Gomillion. This case prohibited states from passing laws depriving citizens of the right to vote and was instrumental in the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Gomillion retired from Tuskegee University in 1970 and died in Montgomery, Alabama.

Erected 2019 by City Of Tuskegee, Tuskegee University, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. (Marker Number 2.)

Topics and series.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Government & Politics • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation., and the Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail, Alabama series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is April 1, 1900.

Location. 32° 25.258′ N, 85° 42.622′ W. Marker is in Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, in Macon County. It is on Bibb Street 0.2 miles north of Hudson Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Bibb Street, Tuskegee Institute AL 36088, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

2. Charles Goode Gomillion Marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jessie Parkhurst Guzman (approx. half a mile away); Fred David Gray (approx. 0.6 miles away); Tuskegee Civic Association (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Oaks (approx. 0.6 miles away); Carver Research Foundation (approx. 0.6 miles away); Julius Rosenwald (approx. 0.6 miles away); Birth of Trades Program (approx. 0.6 miles away); Thrasher Hall (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuskegee Institute.

Also see . . .
1. Encyclopedia of Alabama article on the 1960 decision in Gomillion v. Lightfoot.. (Submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Tuskegee Historical Marker Dedication. (Submitted on October 3, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Grandson and wife (on right) of Charles Goode Gomillion and family. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

3. Grandson and wife (on right) of Charles Goode Gomillion and family.

The family was gracious to talk to everyone who showed up today on the dedication of the marker. Two bus loads of dignitaries and guests, with a police escort, visited the new markers on the Tuskegee Civil Rights & Historic Trail.

Dedication program and associated map of trail. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

4. Dedication program and associated map of trail.

All thirteen new markers were dedicated on September 20th, 2019 at the Tuskegee Municipal Complex.

Please note #1 on the map, Amelia Boynton Robinson marker is actually on Franklin Road, NNW of Tuskegee University, near Boy Scout Circle.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 860 times since then and 47 times this year. Last updated on September 23, 2019, by Jerry Klinger of Boynton Beach, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.