UGA virtually commemorates the 60th anniversary of desegregation

This Jan. 9, 2021, will mark the 60th anniversary of when Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes became the first Black students to attend the University of Georgia. Mary Frances Early entered graduate school later that summer of 1961.

Various activities and traditions will commemorate the anniversary, beginning with a ceremonial ringing of the Chapel Bell on Jan. 9 at 11 a.m.

The three-month-long celebrations include several online events such as the virtual presentation of the 18th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast and a digital event highlighting the success of some of UGA’s black female alumni.

The College of Pharmacy will spotlight 60 alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends who actively advocated for a more equitable and inclusive society on Jan. 9. Terry College of Business will host Harold Alonza Black in its Terry Leadership Speaker Series. Black is an Atlanta native was recognized as the University of Georgia’s first black male freshman and the first African American graduate of its Terry College of Business.

In another virtual event, the LGBT Resource Center will assemble a roundtable of QTBIPOC-identified students to discuss the experience of QTBIPOC students at UGA and in the Athens community as a whole. The event will take place on Feb. 24 from 6-7:30 p.m.

In an annual commemoration of Mary Frances Early, selected speakers will highlight Early’s pursuit to ensure that the state’s flagship university became an institution of higher learning for all people of Georgia. UGA will kick off the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of desegregation on Jan. 9—the celebrations will cultivate with a final event on April 9. View a list of UGA’s activities celebrating the 60th desegregation anniversary.