Riot at the University of Georgia

Posted on Jan 10, 2023 in Civil Rights | 0 comments

   1961 – Riot at the University of Georgia.
On this date in 1961, two Black student at the University of Georgia were suspended by the University after a riot erupted protesting their enrollment.

Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault were the first two African-American students admitted to the University of Georgia. The two were high school classmates and after they were denied entrance to the University in 1959, the two were the subjects of a lawsuit brought against the University, the result of which found the University compelled to admit them. The two registered for classes amid a protest by white students. A few days later, Charlayne’s dorm was surrounded by almost 1,000 whites who threw rocks, bottles, bricks and firecrackers at it.

The University suspended Hunter and Holmes, citing a concern for their safety. More than 300 of the University’s professed protestedd the action, supporting the two Black students. A court ordered the University to re-admit the two and they both eventually graduated. Hunter graduated with a degree in Journalism and went on to enjoy an award-winning career  working for media outlets such as the New York Times, PBS and NPR. Holmes became an orthopedic physician and later a professor of orthopedics and associate dean at Emory University. Holmes died in 1995 of heart failure in Atlanta, Georgia.

1936 – Charles Anderson entered Kentucky House

Charles Anderson entered Kentucky House of Representatives.