As part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the desegregation of the university on Jan. 9, Charlayne Hunter-Gault delivered the annual Holmes-Hunter Lecture. The full text of the speech is available on the Web (www.uga.edu/news/desegregation/). Here are some excerpts from her discussion of the naming of the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building:
“. . . the occasion to express my gratitude to all those who had something to do with the naming of the Holmes-Hunter Academic Building. Hamp would be especially pleased that it’s the Academic Building that bears our name, since scholarship was so important to him.
“As for me, I was truly surprised and, as it sank in, even a bit overwhelmed. . . . I quickly moved on to what I would like to think will be the real significance of this building, not so much the names it bears on the outside, but what goes on inside. It goes without saying that scholarship will be encouraged . . . scholarship that results in the kind of knowledge that will enable each and every student, as well as each and every teacher, to see things with what Malcolm X called ‘new eyes.’ Eyes that will be able to see the old world as it was—how it attempted to deny the aspirations of young black boys and girls like Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes. Eyes that will be able to see the new world for what it could be—a welcoming place for the dreams of all young people, of all races, of all cultures. A place where it is possible for those dreams to fly on wings of unfettered ambition.”
|
|
