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In honor of Black History Month, I will be profiling notable African Americans from Georgia throughout February. To read our first profile of the first African American Congressman from Georgia, Jefferson Long, click here. The second profile is of the desegregation and integration of the University of Georgia.

The Integration of UGA

In the summer of 1959, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter applied to the University of Georgia. Holmes and Hunter both had excellent records in school and surpassed admission standards, but despite this they were not granted admission on the grounds of UGA’s “limited facilities.” After multiple admission appeals, the students filed a lawsuit with the school. In January, 1961, Judge William Bootle sided with Holmes and Hunter, stating that “the two plaintiffs are fully qualified for immediate admission.”

                 Unfortunately, the new students were not met with open arms. Upon arrival, protesters filled the campus with anti-integration sentiment.  On Hunter and Holmes’ third day, rioters surrounded the dormitories in which Holmes and Hunter resided in. Several bricks were thrown through the windows of their rooms and the two returned to campus later that night with the aid of Georgia State Troopers. Holmes and Hunter were suspended shortly after for the protection of their personal safety. Immediately after the suspension, some 400 faculty and staff members at the University petitioned for the reinstatement of Hunter and Holmes. Ultimately the students were reinstated by a new court order a few days later.

 At the time, a 1956 law passed by the Georgia General Assembly forbade the coeducation of black and white students and restricted federal funding from integrated institutions. However UGA alumni Governor Ernest Vandiver and a group of state legislators waived the law and allowed the institution to reamin open.

 Holmes and Hunter both graduated in 1963. Hunter went on to work as a journalist and publish work for the New York Times, NPR, PBS, and CNN. Holmes graduated cum laude and went on to become an orthopedic surgeon after graduating from the Emory School of Medicine. Twenty-seven years later, Hamilton Holmes Jr. earned a business degree from his father’s alma mater.

 The integration of UGA began an unprecedented domino effect that led to the desegregation of the entire Georgia public university system and a dramatic change in Georgia law. In 2001, the University of Georgia renamed its academic building the “Holmes-Hunter Academic Building” in honor of the two African American trailblazers.

 Hatfield, Edward A. "Desegregation of Higher Education." New Georgia Encyclopedia. 10 January 2014. Web. 05 February 2016.

The University of Georgia. “A Brief History of UGA Desegregation.” http://desegregation.uga.edu/history/

Photo from the Atlanta Journal Constitution