AU celebrates legacy of Josetta Brittain Matthews at residence hall naming ceremony

(Submitted) Auburn University honored its first Black graduate and faculty member, the late Josetta Brittain Matthews, by naming the Honors College residence hall in her honor on Wednesday. From left to right, Matthews' best friend, Judge Gammiel Poindexter, Auburn Senior VP of Student Affairs Bobby Woodard, Matthews' daughter, Heidi Wright, Auburn Board of Trustees members Bob Dumas and Elizabeth Huntley, Matthews' grandson, Jeffrey Wright, Auburn President Jay Gogue and Matthews' sister, Nita Tucker, gathered in front of the building during the celebration.

Heidi Wright smiled wide and beamed with pride as Auburn University celebrated the life of her late mother, Josetta Brittain Matthews, at a special residence hall naming ceremony on Wednesday.

Wright, who teaches special education at Auburn, stood before Josetta Brittain Matthews Hall in the Village area of campus and spoke fondly of her mother—the university’s first African American graduate and faculty member—on the windy and sunny afternoon.

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