First Black to Attend Auburn Gets Master’s Degree More Than 50 Years Later

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More than half a century after he submitted his thesis, Harold Franklin, the first African American to attend Auburn University, has finally received his master’s degree.

Franklin, who grew up in Talladega, was finally allowed to defend his thesis earlier this year, but the ceremony during which the degree was to be formally awarded was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wasn’t even expecting it,” Franklin said. “I didn’t even know for sure I’d gotten it until it came in the mail yesterday. I just walked out to the mailbox, and there it was.”

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