Charlayne Hunter-Gault was the first African-American female to attend UGA, and one of the first two African-American students to integrate the school. On Feb. 15, 2018, Hunter-Gault returned to her alma mater for two lectures. The first lecture she gave was in Grady College and was focused on “Giving Voice to the Voiceless.” Her second lecture was part of the Holmes-Hunter Signature Lecture of 2018.
Hunter-Gault said that she knew from a young age that she wanted to be a journalist. She told a story about how her grandmother would read the newspaper when she was young and Charlayne would sit at her feet and wait for her to drop the comics section. Charlayne wanted to come to UGA because of its journalism program. She has always prided herself in “giving voice to the voiceless.” Hunter-Gault has worked for The New Yorker, The New York Times, PBS, and also for NPR. She has received two Emmy’s and two Peabody Awards.
Pictured above: Grady College Studio 100, Giving Voice to the Voiceless Lecture
In the lectures held at UGA, Charlayne Hunter-Gault made sure to tell it like it is. She spoke about the current political climate, and how it is having a “terrible impact around the country and around the world.” She spoke about how democracy is “messy” and how there is a need for citizen participation.
Pictured above: The Holmes-Hunter Signature Lecture sign outside of UGA’s Chapel
Charlayne Hunter-Gault radiated optimism despite the current atmosphere in politics, advocating for young people to take action and for students to give voice to the voiceless much like she has, quoting James Baldwin as stating, “The time is always now.”
Hunter-Gault has always stood up for what she believes in. My favorite part of the Hunter-Holmes lecture was when she said, “As a woman, the reason I embrace the label of she-devil, is because I am totally in support of equal rights for women and all that entails.”
Pictured above: A full chapel for Hunter-Gault’s lecture
The almost 76-year-old is active on Twitter and is very proud of the fact that a Harvard professor of Hip-Hop called her “woke.” Hunter-Gault said, “It’s time for everyone, no matter their age, to get woke.” We couldn’t agree with her more!
All photos courtesy of Alli Coberth