After World War II, significant efforts sought to change social and political systems historically dominated by segregation and white supremacy. Tuscaloosa became a national focal point in the struggle for equal rights. In 1956, as Autherine Lucy attempted to attend classes at the University of Alabama, rioting broke out, and as a result Miss Lucy was suspended. Gov. George Wallace made his “stand in the schoolhouse door” in 1963 before a more successful attempt was made to desegregate the University. Local civil rights efforts led by Rev. T. Y. Rodgers, Joe Mallisham, and others resulted in public school integration in 1970 and changes in methods of electing local officials. In 1985 Charles Steele and John England were the first blacks elected to the Tuscaloosa City Council.