Anyone who has attended the University of Georgia undoubtedly spent some of their time walking past the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building, many with very little idea the building, which houses registration, is a tribute to two pioneers of the civil rights movement.
"Holmes-Hunter" is actually a nod to a pivotal moment in civil rights history, one that would change the face of higher education. The building gets its name from the first two African-Americans to walk onto the campus as students -- Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter.
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The WSB-TV news clips above, shot between January 9 and 11, 1961, capture the fraught moments when UGA desegregated. Holmes and Hunter first walked onto North Campus to register for classes, leading to protests which would last for several days. UGA was the first university in the deep South to desegregate, and would lead the integration of other higher education institutions around Georgia and the South. But the transition wasn’t an easy one.
Holmes and Hunter had both excelled at all-black Turner High School in Atlanta. Holmes had been valedictorian, senior class president and co-captain of the football team. Hunter had finished third in her class and edited the school newspaper. But both were denied admission to UGA for over a year.
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Just days before the footage was shot, on January 6, a federal judge had decided that Holmes and Hunter were "fully qualified for immediate admission" and "would already have been admitted had it not been for their race and color."
Despite the legal backing, many students weren’t happy, as you can see in the news footage.
Though the clips are silent, the first few shots show Holmes and Hunter arriving on campus, thronged by reporters, as white students chanted "Two-four-six-eight! We don't want to integrate!"
The clips follow Holmes and Hunter as they walk around campus (giving some great time-capsule moments of UGA in the 60s).
Later footage shows riots that broke out three days later outside of Myers Dormitory, where Hunter lived.
Police and firefighters were eventually dispersed the crowd with hoses and tear gas. But, fearing for their safety, UGA's Dean of Students suspended Holmes and Hunter on January 11. The two were escorted back to Atlanta by state troopers. Later clips show Hunter and Holmes as they were welcomed back to Atlanta and speaking with Althea Hunter, Charlayne's mother.
Luckily, the suspension was only a temporary one. After public outcry, 400 faculty members signed a petition to bring Holmes and Hunter back. Within days, they returned to the UGA campus -- where both would graduate in 1963 .
Holmes went on to study medicine at Emory and became an orthopedic surgeon. Hunter worked as a journalist with the New York Times, PBS, CNN and NPR.
Cox Media Group
