Guest editor Charlayne Hunter-Gault occupies a unique place in our culture as a world-class journalist in every medium. She also occupies a unique place in American history. Her work in journalism has enabled her to bring some of the most impactful events of the 20th century to millions of readers and viewers. And her courage and action to desegregate the University of Georgia, at the young age of 19, opened the doors to equality for millions of others.
In January 2021, the University of Georgia marked the 60th anniversary of its desegregation even as present-day demands for social justice flooded our news feeds. With that organic link between past and present as inspiration, a small group of students and faculty at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication came together to produce a documentary project recounting the historic moments of the university’s desegregation in 1961.
The documentary focuses on the achievements of Hunter-Gault and classmate Hamilton Holmes, who — despite vocal and sometimes violent resistance — became the first African American students to attend the University of Georgia, on January 9, 1961.
> Watch this moving story of that challenging time and its lessons for us all.
Cover photo: Charlayne Hunter-Gault meets with students from Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high schools outside the Chapel before delivering the Holmes-Hunter Lecture in February 2018. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)
