Horace Ward, an African American student from La Grange, Georgia, applied to law school at the University of Georgia.
The first memorial at UGA for enslaved people. Pleasant Hull, an African-American bell ringer and janitor for UGA's chapel, and his contributions are memorialized on a plaque placed outside the chapel. Until 2018 this was the only memorial to enslaved people on campus.
Ward's application is denied. The university’s decision came more than nine months after Ward had filed his application and after Ward’s repeated requests for updates on the status of his application.
Ward sued the state of Georgia with the help of the NAACP, becoming the first black student to challenge segregation at the University of Georgia.
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter applied to UGA , but were informed that the dormitories were filled to capacity and could not accommodate any more students. The pair renewed their applications each semester thereafter, but refused admission every time due to “limited facilities.”
Attorneys Donald Hollowell and Constance Baker Motley filed for an injunction seeking to prohibit UGA from “refusing to consider Holmes’s and Hunter’s applications and those of other Negro residents of Georgia for admission to the University.” Their request was refused, but eventually a trial was held in Athens in December 1960.
Judge William A. Bootle ordered UGA to admit Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne A. Hunter, ending 175 years of segregation at UGA. On that same day, white students demonstrated on the Athens campus and attempted to burn a cross.
Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter become the first African Americans to register at UGA after winning a legal battle to gain admission. Holmes and Hunter were met with people shouting racial slurs and chanting, “Two, four, six, eight. We don’t want to integrate!”
After a basketball game, there is a riot outside of Myers Hall, where Charlayne Hunter lived. Bricks, rocks, and bottles were thrown and the mob dispersed after police, armed with tear gas, and Dean William Tate arrived. That night the university suspended Hunter and Holmes, citing safety reasons, and the state patrol escorted the students back to Atlanta.
Mary Frances Early becomes the first African American to earn a UGA degree.
Chester Davenport becomes the first African-American graduate of the School of Law, 16 years after Horace Ward, the first black applicant to UGA, was denied admission.
Harry Sims, a long jumper, becomes the first African American UGA student to participate in an athletics competition.
Richard Graham becomes the first full-time African-American faculty member teaching at the School of Music.
The Zeta Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha becomes the first African-American fraternity. Members include Eddie Cheeks, Alan Jackson, Richard Morgan, Bennie Roberson, Michael Stover, Russell William and Alonzo Wilson.
Basketball player Ronnie Hogue becomes the first African-American to play a major sport at UGA.
Richard Appleby, Horace King, Chuck Kinnebrew, Clarence Pope and Larry West integrate the football team.
The Black Theatrical Ensemble is founded to give African-American students the opportunity to stage productions.
Leroy Ervin and Ron Fadden found Abeneefoo Kuo Honor Society for black students. The name means “circle of honor” in Swahili.
Herschel Walker leads the football team to a national championship
Several black faculty and staff, including Katheryn Davis, Maurice Daniels, Leroy Ervin and others, form the Black Faculty and Staff Organization.
Basketball player Bernadette Locke becomes UGA’s first female athlete to be named an All-American.
Harold Wright becomes the first African-American drum major for the Redcoat Marching Band.
Twenty years after graduating, Hamilton E. Holmes became the first African American member of the Board of Trustees of the UGA Foundation. Though, Holmes did not visit UGA for many years, stating that his “time as a student there was very bad.” In the early 1980s, he did help plan the school’s bicentennial celebration.
In UGA’s bicentennial year, the school established the annual Holmes-Hunter Lecture.
Vernon Jordan delivers the inaugural Holmes-Hunter Lecture, a series established during UGA’s bicentennial.
Robert Pratt becomes first African-American faculty member in the history department.
President Charles Knapp hires 20 new black faculty members almost doubling the number (29) previously on campus.
Bryndis Roberts Jenkins becomes UGA’s first African-American vice president, heading the legal affairs office.
Hunter-Gault becomes the first Black graduation speaker when she delivers the commencement address.
Vanessa Williams Smith initiates the Black Educational Support Team.
Office of Minority Services and Programs opens and Leslie Bates becomes the first director in April 1990.
Holmes and Hunter-Gault establish an academic scholarship for African American students attending UGA.
Telvis Rich and running mate Ron Jones become the first African-American students to serve as president and vice president of the Student Government Association.
The African-American Cultural Center is founded by the Division of Student Affairs, African-American studies and members of BFSO.
Graduate student Akinloye Ojo starts the African Perspectives show on WUGA-FM.
African-American Studies becomes a major.
Mark Anthony Thomas becomes the first African-American editor-in-chief of The Red & Black
Hilton Young (B.S.Ed. ’79) becomes first African-American president of UGA’s National Alumni Association
Marking the 40th anniversary of desegregation at UGA, the Academic Building was renamed the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building.
The Office of Institutional Diversity is established under the direction of College of Education Dean Louis Castenell.
UGA partners with the Athens-Clarke County government and the school district to host inaugural Freedom Breakfast-now an annual event-to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday
Faculty member Derrick Alridge named one of 10 outstanding young African-American scholars in the nation by Black Issues in Higher Education.
Juanita Cousins is named first female African-American editor-in-chief of The Red & Black.
Christina Swoope becomes the first female African-American drum major of the Redcoat Marching Band.
Broadway performer Tituss Burgess (B.A. ’01) presents one-man show at the Morton Theatre to kick off the centennial celebration of the venue.
UGA marks the 50th anniversary of desegregation.
Horace Ward was awarded an honorary law degree from UGA.
Remains were discovered during construction at Baldwin Hall. The majority of the remains identified were those of African descent, most likely slaves or former slaves. They were reinterred at Oconee Hill Cemetery.
The memorial serves as remembrance for the individuals who were originally buried on this site in the 1800s, most of whom likely were slaves or former slaves. It is located on the south end of the front lawn of Baldwin Hall, near Old Athens Cemetery
UGA’s College of Education was renamed in Mary Frances Early’s honor.
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close