University of Georgia Kicks off Campus Read of An Education in Georgia by Calvin Trillin to Mark 60 Years of Integration

Submitted by Camie on

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of desegregation at the University of Georgia, the University of Georgia Press, the New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Mary Frances Early College of Education announce a Campus Read of An Education in Georgia: Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and the Integration of the University of Georgia by Calvin Trillin (UGA Press, 1992).  

First serialized in the New Yorker in 1963, Trillins’s book details the experiences of the first African-American students on the Athens campus and the legal struggle surrounding their admission. The book also looks at the protests and riots against their admission, the students' suspension, as well as the court case that had them reinstated. Trillin’s book includes interviews from the time with students, their families, friends, and professors that reveal the struggles of integration and drastic social change on a southern campus.  

"Renowned journalist Calvin Trillin's account of the integration of the University of Georgia provides an on-the-ground, intimate look at the people involved, from courageous young students Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, and Mary Frances Early to the attorneys, administrators, townspeople, and UGA custodians who secreted the blank applications off campus and to Atlanta,” said Lisa Bayer, director of the University of Georgia Press. “By reading this book together, the UGA community will better understand the deeply human relationships that changed our university and our state forever, and for good."

Two virtual events will be held to discuss the legacy and impact of desegregation and the modern-day UGA campus. The first talk on February 4th will feature An Education in Georgia author Calvin Trillin and Charlayne Hunter-Gault in a discussion moderated by Valerie Boyd, the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence, Associate Professor, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, UGA.  

On February 25th, the second event will feature a dialogue between Mary Frances Early and UGA Rhodes Scholar Phaidra Buchanan, moderated by Cynthia Dillard (Mary Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education). 

Discussion questions, historical notes, and other prompts will be shared via social media throughout the month of February. To follow the Campus Read online, follow UGA Press on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

The book is available in print and electronic form through a variety of sources, including independent and online bookstores. Free physical copies will also be available through the Colleges of Education and Journalism and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and an open digital copy will be available via UGA Press’s Manifold platform by February 1.  

More information on the virtual events—including registration information—can be found on the UGA master calendar at the following links:

-February 4, 2021, Kick-off Event: An Education in Georgia: Then and Now

-February 25, 2021, Closing Event: An Education in Georgia: Looking toward the Future