AUBURN, Ala. – Thirty-three years ago, Harold Melton became the first African American to serve as SGA President at Auburn. There were outsiders who told him the administration would sabotage his grades if he ran. They said he should fear for his physical safety. The school and the town were not ready for a black president.
But Melton knew Auburn. He knew the students. He knew the administration. And though just 3.6 percent of the student population was black at the time, he won with 62 percent of the vote.
"It emphasized to me the value of relationships," he said. "That was the only thing my campaign was based on – knowing people and trusting them and building good relationships."
Using that same outlook, Melton has been knocking down barriers ever since. In 2005, he was only the third African American appointed to serve on the Georgia Supreme Court. Two years ago, he was sworn into his current position as Chief Justice on the Georgia Supreme Court.
Yet, when it comes to issues of race, he's still growing just like anybody else.
Part of that growth comes through conversation, and on Wednesday, Melton returned to his roots by sharing his experiences, past and present, with the Auburn swimming and diving team.
"I want to have a real broad, sweeping conversation about the issues of race, and that's always difficult," he told them via a Zoom call. "I'm growing. You're growing. The idea is that by throwing our thoughts out there we can grow together and come to a better understanding."
The team listened as Melton told them stories of his time at Auburn and running for SGA President. He talked about his first recollection of race as a 4-year-old and what it was like growing up in predominantly white neighborhoods or being the first young black man at his school when his family moved to Atlanta.
From there, the conversation turned to current issues regarding race. There were questions asked and discussions about stereotypes, about desegregation, about systemic racism. When the police came up, Melton told them about "the talk" he had with his children in case they ever got pulled over. He also shared conversations he's had recently with police officers in Atlanta.
For the Auburn student-athletes, it was an opportunity to learn and grow from someone who might have a different background but who walked the same campus they walk now.
"A lot of this starts with Allen Greene, our athletic director, and our administration in reference to supporting student-athletes and allowing for their continued growth not only as students and athletes but as people in general," head coach Gary Taylor said.
"This was brought to my attention, and I thought it was a really cool, unique opportunity. You've got someone in Chief Justice Melton who connects with our Auburn student-athletes because he walked campus and can share his Auburn stories. You've got someone who's been incredibly successful, and whether it's as an athlete or a student or a professional in the future, there's a connection there. But he's also got the different scope of being an African American man and growing up differently than a lot of our white student-athletes.
"I've talked to the team a lot about their willingness to be open to other people's viewpoints, taking it all in and listening. This allowed our student-athletes to do that today."
After a discussion that lasted nearly 90 minutes, the final message from Melton was simple. Keep the conversation going. Keep sharing. Keep listening.
"I believe what we're talking about here is all about relationships," he said. "I don't have to tell you this. I assume you already are. But keep doing that. Keep building relationships with those that you wouldn't expect you would naturally form relationships with. You may find they happen more naturally once you engage than you might have suspected."
It was only fitting each student-athlete shared a "War Eagle" with Melton as they signed off the call.