Full circle: UGA’s first African American graduate meets school’s other Black student groundbreaker

ATHENS, Ga. — As we celebrate Black History Month, we’re introducing you to two people with two historic firsts for the University of Georgia.

UGA’s first African American graduate had a chance to meet the school’s first African American Rhodes scholar.

Channel 2 Action News was there the moment Dr. Mary Frances Early and Phaidra Buchanan met virtually for the first time.

“You’re going to impress students and you’re going to make pathways for them as I hope I’ve made pathways for others,” Early said.

“I mean hearing that from you is unreal,” Buchanan said.

[RELATED: 2 students from metro Atlanta named Rhodes scholars]

This was the moment that both groundbreakers had been waiting for.

“You are the realization of a dream I had, Phaidra, when I came. That we would have students like you, more students and then to have one that’s a Rhodes scholar, that’s so outstanding,” Early said.

“And I hope you know, it’s far from just me whose dreams you made possible,” Buchanan said.

This is a full circle moment for Early, who graduated from UGA in 1962.

“It took them five months to even admit me. They did all kinds of delay tactics because they didn’t want me there,” Early said.

But attending there was a priority for Early. It was her way of contributing to the fight for racial justice.

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“I wanted to go to help with civil rights movement, with educational equity in Georgia,” Early said.

Early was one of only a few, and at times, the sole African American on campus.

“All of the vitriol and the hatred and whatever was directed toward me because they didn’t have anybody else to do it to,” Early said.

Despite the verbal and at times, physical abuse, Early graduated with a masters in music education. She went on to teach at several metro Atlanta schools and colleges.

Among her many awards, another first: In 1981, she became the first African American president of the Georgia Music Educators Association.

[MORE: Black History Month stories for Georgia]

But Early said her real accomplishment is paving the way for the next generation, for students like Buchanan, a fellow DeKalb County resident, a triplet, who’s now getting ready to head off alone to England as a Rhodes scholar.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to have access to these great professors and knowledge that I can then pass on to students,” Buchanan said.

Like Early, Buchanan wants to teach.

The university’s college of education is now named for Early, a permanent reminder of her fight for equity on campus. It’s something, she said the university still needs teach and practice.

“We should have more African Americans, Latinos,” Early said. “I mean even today, students complain about various things. But the distance that we’ve come to this point is very encouraging.”

Cox Media Group