Charlayne Hunter-Gault

Born Due West, South Carolina

In January 1961, following a two-year legal battle, Charlayne Hunter-Gault and fellow student Hamilton Holmes walked resolutely onto the University of Georgia campus as the first African American students to enroll at the all-white public university.

Within forty-eight hours of their arrival, students opposed to the pair’s admission were rioting outside Hunter-Gault’s dormitory, hurling bricks and bottles through her window. Hunter-Gault and Holmes were suspended, ostensibly to ensure their safety. Returning under a new court order, Hunter-Gault stated they were “determined as ever to stay the course.”

Joseph Schwarz, an art professor who helped organize a faculty resolution to reinstate the suspended students, created this portrait. It captures the cool determination that enabled Hunter-Gault to challenge entrenched segregation and graduate in 1963. She subsequently became an award-winning journalist and foreign correspondent. She has worked for media outlets such as the New York Times, PBS, NPR, and CNN.

Nacida en Due West, Carolina del Sur

En enero de 1961, tras dos años de batalla legal, Charlayne Hunter-Gault y su compañero Hamilton Holmes caminaron decididos hacia el campus de la Universidad de Georgia para ser los primeros estudiantes afroamericanos en esta institución pública hasta entonces para blancos. No habían pasado 48 horas cuando los estudiantes opuestos a su admisión se amotinaron frente al dormitorio de Hunter-Gault, lanzando ladrillos y botellas a su ventana. HunterGault y Holmes fueron suspendidos, presumiblemente para garantizar su seguridad. De regreso gracias a una nueva orden judicial, Hunter-Gault dijo que estaban “decididos como siempre a seguir adelante”.

Joseph Schwarz, profesor de arte que ayudó a producir una resolución de la facultad para readmitir a los estudiantes, creó este retrato. Aquí capta la firmeza serena que permitió a Hunter-Gault desafiar la arraigada segregación y graduarse en 1963, llegando a ser una galardonada periodista y corresponsal. Hunter-Gault ha trabajado para medios como el New York Times, PBS, NPR y CNN.

Charlayne Hunter-Gault and the University of Georgia, Athens