George Wallace was a Democrat by the way.

Sharon Malone, Wife of AG, Keynotes Women’s History Month Event
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Dr. Sharon Malone, wife of Attorney General Eric Holder, speaks in the Great Hall of the Justice Department on Tuesday (photo by Ryan J. Reilly / Main Justice).

Dr. Sharon Malone, the wife of Attorney General Eric Holder, recounted Tuesday how the Department of Justice intervened to allow her older sister to go to school at the University of Alabama in the 1960s. Malone spoke at an event in celebration of Women’s History Month.

Speaking in the Great Hall of the Justice Department, Malone’s remarks centered on her sister, Vivian Malone Jones, who was one of the first African Americans to enroll at the all-white University of Alabama. Malone recalled how in June 1963, then-Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach escorted Jones past then-Gov. George Wallace, a segregationist, in an incident now known as “the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door.” Jones eventually earned a degree at the school and later worked at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. She died in 2005.

“My husband isn’t the first Attorney General who took an interest in my family,” joked Malone, who is an obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice.

Holder told a local Girl Scout troop in attendance for the event to look around the room, pointing out women in leadership positions within the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration. “This is your future, you can do anything,” said Holder.

In introducing his wife, Holder joked that she would probably agree that he is in touch with his feminine side. He also recounted the night he met Malone, who at the time was completing her medical residency. Up until that point Malone wasn’t sure if she’d stay in D.C., Holder said.

“But she met a tall, handsome young man and decided to stay in D.C.” he said. “I also met her that night,” he added, jokingly. The couple will celebrate their 20th anniversary on April 7, said Holder.

Also speaking at the event were Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Laurie Robinson and Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division Ignacia Moreno. Moreno reflected on the diversity of the federal government under President Barack Obama.

“The leadership of our nation has never looked more like America, and we are not going back,” said Moreno.

After the ceremony, Malone, Holder, Robinson and Moreno posed for pictures with the Girl Scout troop.

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