Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} An Education in Georgia Charlayne Hunter Hamilton Holmes and the Integration of the University of Ge An Education in Georgia. THE INTEGRATION OF CHARLAYNE HUNTER AND HAMILTON HOLMES, by Calvin Trillin, Viking, 180 pp., $3.95. Although less than a year old, the "Negro Revolt" has become a stock phrase in the vocabulary of current events. Spring was stark headlines about Birmingham, summer aerial shots of thousands along the reflecting pool, and fall frustration at the failure of Congress. Now winter may be the time of abstraction and formalization. Even as boycotts and demonstrations continue in North and South, the language of sociologists and slick magazines fits police dogs, marching students, and anguished ministers into the broad context of mid-century America. The subject of countless words, the Negro has become a new caricature, de-humanized into a single image of militant man on the move. In An Education in Georgia, Calvin Trillin describes a sequence of events which has a prominent place in civil rights lore, the desegregation of a state university. And the expected drama is not missing from his account of the integration of Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes into the University of Georgia in January, 1961. Students stone Charlayne's dormitory her first night on campus, they deface her car, and insults and abuse greet both Negroes throughout the university. But Trillin, a Yale graduate who writes for the New Yorker, does not dwell on these incidents. Instead he chooses to report the disillusionment and sense of loss that two Negroes experience when they leave the comfort of high-school success in an all-Negro environment to enter Georgia as symbols of The Cause. But The Cause had very little to do with their decision. Aided by a flat, straightforward style, Trillin makes clear that Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter were neither prodded by the NAACP nor initially moved by a deep personal commitment to civil rights activity. From the insular atmosphere of Turner High, Atlanta, they had simply not thought de-segregation possible. Trillin contrasts their relative innocence with the experience of James Meredith, for by some Negroes, Hamilton and Charlayne would be considered almost white. Unlike Meredith, they did not have to overcome the disadvantages of a sharecropper background; coming from a middle class community in Atlanta, they were more concerned with a normal education than with simply breaking down the system. Almost casually, both Negroes responded to the suggestion of a local leader that they become intergrationists. Hamilton's desire to go to medical school could be served best by attending Georgia. Therefore his personal battle, his wish to "make those crackers sit up and take notice," was fought in the classroom. Charlayne was not so singleminded. She wanted to observe people observing her. More gregarious than Hamilton and lacking his drive, Charlayne chose to live on campus instead of with a Negro family as he did. Ultimately both were to fail as integrationists. And this is one lesson to be inferred from Trillins' Education. As a student, Hamilton was successful, graduating with honors and a Phi Beta Kappa key. But he had drawn more and more into himself, falling back on the Negroes he had known in Atlanta. Although his example of excellence encouraged a few others to come to Georgia, his contact with whites at Georgia was nil. Charlayne's stay at the university was in a sense more frustrating since she had no honors to justify her experience. Her contact with white students became less tense, but she was never able to establish friendships. Discouraged at the inability of Negroes to raise funds for her scholarship and dismayed at the bickering over who was the better integrationist, she or Hamilton, Charlayne finally began to feel detached from both whites and Negroes. As she told Trillin. I feel like a hypecrite giving all these speeches, all that we shall evercome business. I believe in it sure. But there are some things I don't believe in talking about. I'm sick of whites and sick of Negroes. I just want to be obscure. The insoluble problem suggested in An Education in Georgia is that the low level of Negro education and the high level of Southern recalcitrance make widespread integration distant. And for the qualified Negro who can become an integrationist, the sacrifice may be too great. The epilogue of An Education in Georgia is revealing. Following her graduation, Charlayne married Walter Stovall, a white student whom she had seen secretly at Georgia. When criticized by both Negroes and liberal whites for foresaking The Cause she replied, This is a personal thing, and my personal life should not have anything to do with that which affects the mass of people. And so I can't be terribly concerned about that because I have my own life to live. But it is the Charlayne Hunters and Hamilton Holmes who by their physical presence on a Southern campus begin the erosion of southern white values and inspire their own people. Thus the ironic paradox of Education is that by embracing The Cause, by seeking to help the Negro people find self, the individual Negro's sense of self is threatened. Trillin speaks with a low and calm voice; he is not writing about an abstract Negro on a magazine cover who stands firmly, muscles taut, eyes forward. Underneath the placid prose is another figure, the intelligent Southern Negro, who, unlike his contemporaries from the North, cannot go home to Boston, New York, or Springfield after his year of working in the South is over. Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter. An Education in Georgia: Charlayne Hunter Hamilton Holmes and the Integration of the University of Georgia by Calvin Trillin. First serialized in the New Yorker in 1963, Trillins’s book details the experiences of the first African-American students on the Athens campus and the legal struggle surrounding their admission. The book also looks at the protests and riots against their admission, the students' suspension, as well as the court case that had them reinstated. Trillin’s book includes interviews from the time with students, their families, friends, and professors that reveal the struggles of integration and drastic social change on a southern campus. "Renowned journalist Calvin Trillin's account of the integration of the University of Georgia provides an on-the-ground, intimate look at the people involved, from courageous young students Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and Mary Frances Early to the attorneys, administrators, townspeople, and UGA custodians who secreted the blank applications off campus and to Atlanta,” said Lisa Bayer, director of the University of Georgia Press. “By reading this book together, the UGA community will better understand the deeply human relationships that changed our university and our state forever, and for good." Two virtual events will be held to discuss the legacy and impact of desegregation and the modern-day UGA campus. The first talk on February 4th will feature An Education in Georgia author Calvin Trillin and Charlayne Hunter-Gault in a discussion moderated by Valerie Boyd, the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence, Associate Professor, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, UGA. On February 25th, the second event will feature a dialogue between Mary Frances Early and UGA Rhodes Scholar Phaidra Buchanan, moderated by Cynthia Dillard (Mary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education). Discussion questions, historical notes, and other prompts will be shared via social media throughout the month of February. To follow the Campus Read online, follow UGA Press on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The book is available in print and electronic form through a variety of sources, including independent and online bookstores. Free physical copies will also be available through the Colleges of Education and Journalism and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and an open digital copy will be available via UGA Press’s Manifold platform by February 1. More information on the virtual events—including registration information—can be found on the UGA master calendar at the following links: Admiration and appreciation for Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes. The courage and sacrifice of Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes 60 years ago might be termed “good trouble” today, however their heroic actions were complicated and divisive in 1961. Thanks to their steadfast resolve to attend class at the University of Georgia, they broke down barriers, opened the door to progress and created opportunities for generations to come by desegregating the university. January 9 is the milestone anniversary when Hunter (now Hunter-Gault) started her quest for a journalism degree and Hamilton Holmes started his studies in science on his way to a career in medicine and healthcare administration. Hunter-Gault’s impact is immense according to Charles Davis, dean of Grady College. “The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ‘There is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity,’” Davis quoted. “Charlayne Hunter-Gault’s courage, selflessness and most importantly, love for others and for UGA continue to amaze. She always answers the call, every time. I’ve never known another person who lifts me up in quite the same way. Majestic is a good way to describe her.” Grady College alumni and friends share messages of appreciation and admiration on the 60th Anniversary of Desegregation. The complete video of appreciation messages for Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes can be viewed here. (editor: Dayne Young) Hunter-Gault is well-known for her legacy at UGA, but her legacy at the College is equally important continued Davis. A few of her many contributions to the College include regular visits to interact with students; faculty support through the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence, held by Valerie Boyd; service as a former board member of the Peabody Awards; and co-benefactor along with her husband, Ron, of the Giving Voice to the Voice Fund. The fund provides grants to those amplifying stories that need to be told. Hunter-Gault continues to inspire students and young alumni today. Recent graduate Ashley Carter (AB ’20) worked on the UGA Black Alumni Oral History Project through the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library that was funded by the Giving Voice to the Voiceless grant. Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault at the inaugural Holmes Hunter Lecture in 1985. (Photo: Rick O’Quinn) “Charlayne Hunter-Gault and the late Hamilton Holmes, I cannot explain how thankful I am for your bravery when you stepped on the University of Georgia’s campus for the first time,” Carter said. “That set the tone for years to come and students like myself who have graduated, and students who are still being admitted, we thank you. We appreciate you.” Following graduation with a journalism degree in 1963, Hunter-Gault started her impressive career, first on the staff of “The New Yorker,” followed by The New York Times, PBS’s “MacNeil/Lehrer Report” and what is now the “PBS NewsHour.” She has served as chief correspondent in Africa for National Public Radio, as well as bureau chief and correspondent in Johannesburg, South Africa, for CNN. Hunter- Gault has written several books including “In My Place,” which will be the featured book in March for the UGA Alumni Association’s Between the Pages virtual book club. Hunter-Gault has been honored with several awards, including two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards, including her coverage of Africa for NPR. Her work has inspired numerous journalists, including some of the College’s most notable alumni like Deborah Roberts (ABJ ‘82), Ernie Johnson (ABJ ‘78) and Monica Pearson (MA ’14). “I owe a debt of gratitude to you and Hamilton Holmes for paving the way for me at UGA,” said Roberts, a national correspondent for ABC, in a message to Hunter-Gault. “I wouldn’t be here at ABC News if it weren’t for you two. I stand on your shoulders, and my success is your success.” Charlayne Hunter-Gault at the Centennial celebration for the college in April 2015. (Photo: Wingate Downs) January 9, 2021, marks the start of a series of events at the University of Georgia to mark the progress that has been made and the continued work to create a more inclusive and welcoming campus. The anniversary celebration will continue for the next several months and includes a series of events in celebration of Hunter-Gault, Holmes and Mary Frances Early who transferred to UGA as a graduate student and was the first Black student to graduate from UGA in 1962. Grady College is in process of hosting several events in association with the 60 th Anniversary of Desegregation. Grady Newsource has produced a half-hour documentary about the impact of Hunter-Gault and Holmes that is expected to air in February. On Feb. 4, Grady will sponsor a virtual Campus Read event hosted by the UGA Press and featuring author Calvin Trillin. Trillin is the author of “An Education in Georgia: Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and the Integration of the University of Georgia,” and the conversation will be moderated by Valerie Boyd, the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence and Grady faculty member. Please visit UGA’s 60 th Anniversary of Desegregation website for a complete list of events. UGA Campus Read of 'An Education in Georgia' to mark 60 years of desegregation. The University of Georgia Press will host a university-wide campus read of “An Education in Georgia” by Calvin Trillin in partnership with the New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Mary Frances Early College of Education. (Courtesy/The University of Georgia Press) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Save. The University of Georgia Press will host a university-wide campus read of “An Education in Georgia” by Calvin Trillin in partnership with the New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Mary Frances Early College of Education. The Campus Read is a celebration for both desegregation at the University of Georgia and Black History Month. The program will include two virtual talks: The first is on Feb. 4 with Trillin, a long time staff writer at The New Yorker, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault, one of the first Black students to attend UGA. The other talk closes the Campus Read on Feb. 25 with Mary Frances Early, the first Black graduate from UGA, and UGA Rhodes Scholar Phaidra Buchanan. “An Education in Georgia” follows Trillin’s accounts of the integration process at UGA, which was spearheaded by Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes. The 1963 book includes interviews not only with the two students, but with their families, the UGA faculty and administration as well as their peers and classmates. Trillin was a reporter for Time Magazine stationed in Atlanta when the federal court ordered the admission of the first two Black students to UGA in January 1961. He reported on their first week at UGA and returned to Athens in 1963 to follow up with the students and their experiences. “These events had been covered as a snapshot rather than a video,” Trillin said. “Desegregation happened, or it didn’t happen in some cases, and that’s the last you heard of it. I thought that what hadn’t really been written about was . what it was like for those two and a half years.” The desegregation process was anything but simple. The book describes the year and a half long litigation battle led by Black attorneys to admit the two students, the riot outside of Hunter-Gault’s dormitory on Myers Quad which resulted in her and Holmes’ temporary suspension as well as the oftentimes hostile and isolating environment the young students lived in for two and a half years. “These were human beings,” Lisa Bayer, the director of UGA Press, said. “They left their families [and] it was dangerous here. They were threatened, they were ostracized. There were also people who embraced them and created community, but it was brave work.” Although 60 years have passed, race relations still remain a significant issue in this country. The Black Lives Matter protests during summer 2020 are a prime example. “Stories about black men being killed by white police have gone on for decades and it’s still the same,” Trillin said. “I did one in Seattle in 1975 — it could’ve been written yesterday.” Even looking more microscopically at UGA, Bayer believes there’s still much to be done for racial equality to truly be achieved. “I don’t think the civil rights movement is over,” Bayer said. “We’re still working on racial justice issues, representation issues. More recently in the 21st century, [Hunter-Gault] said that she had really hoped we would have more Black students at UGA now than we do. Charlayne and Hamilton Holmes were the first, but I think it's been a slow ride.” Trillin believes that while the public’s attentiveness to racial issues waxes and wanes, that does not mean the issues themselves disappear. “When they say systemic racism, it’s hard to remember that it’s everywhere,” Trillin said. “For instance, when it came out in the news that the COVID-19 [pandemic] was harder on neighborhoods where there were mainly people of color — I’ve done race stories for fifty years, but at first I thought, ‘Well, why is that?’ Think about redlining neighborhoods so that people could only live in certain places. Think about the problem of medical care. It’s everywhere.” Hunter-Gault and Trillin are still friends today after their initial meeting in 1961. Their virtual conversation on Feb. 4 to begin the Campus Read will be moderated by Valerie Boyd, the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence and professor at Grady. Early, who is also featured in “An Education in Georgia,” will be speaking with Buchanan, a Rhodes Scholar, in a conversation moderated by Cynthia Dillard, a professor at the Mary Frances Early College of Education. Physical copies of “An Education in Georgia'' can be purchased at local and online bookstores and are available for free from Grady, the Mary Frances Early College and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, according to a 2021 press release by the UGA Press. An e-book version is also available for free through UGA Press’s Manifold platform. “We’re not done,” Bayer said. “We’re still working through a lot of the issues –– they’re subtler, maybe. The messages are delivered in different ways perhaps than they were sixty years ago. But we are still working and we are still learning, and we have to continue to teach.” An Education in Georgia: Then and Now, kick off event for the campus-wide read of An Education in Georgia: Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and the Integration of the University of Georgia. To kick off the campus-wide reading event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of desegregation at the University of Georgia, UGA alumna Charlayne Hunter-Gault will participate in a conversation with longtime New Yorker columnist and author Calvin Trillin to discuss his book An Education in Georgia: Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and the Integration of the University of Georgia (UGA Press). The conversation will be moderated by Valerie Boyd, Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence, Associate Professor, Journalism, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, UGA. Throughout the month of February, the Press will share supplemental materials including discussion questions, interviews, news articles drawn from the New Georgia Encyclopedia, and other prompts via social media. We will announce book giveaways in January as well as provide a discount code to students, faculty, staff, and community members who register for the event. Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a Peabody and Emmy award-winning journalist with more than 50 years in the media industry, extending her work at various times to all media including The New Yorker, NBC, The New York Times, PBS, NPR and CNN. She is also the author of four books, including In My Place, an autobiography and To The Mountaintop: My Journey Through the Civil Rights Movement. She continues with the PBS NEWSHOUR with a special series called Race Matters, looking at solutions to racism and is a highly sought after lecturer and moderator. Calvin Trillin has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1963. As the Nation’s “Deadline Poet,” he writes weekly verse on the news of the day. In addition to his books of reportage, he has published memoirs, comic novels, and books of verse. His books include Remembering Denny, Obliviously On He Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme, Tepper Isn’t Going Out, About Alice, Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin, Jackson, 1964, and No Fair! No Fair! (with Roz Chast.)