Reporter: Crowe, Gloria.

In this WSB newsfilm clip from May 30, 1967, Hamilton Holmes speaks to reporter Gloria Crowe about his experience integrating the University of Georgia shortly before his graduation from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

The clip begins with reporter Gloria Crowe and Hamilton Holmes walking on the Emory campus and then sitting down on a nearby bench. Holmes wears medical scrubs. Holmes speaks about his experience as one of the first African American students admitted to the University of Georgia in 1961. He says that in retrospect, his time at the university "wasn't as bad as it seemed at the time." He declares that if had the chance to do it again, he wouldn't hesitate. Crowe asks Homes if he has any regrets about attending the University of Georgia. Holmes replies that he does not have any regrets. He feels that he received a good education and a good preparation for medical school.

Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes applied for admission to the University of Georgia in 1959; university officials refused to admit the students, citing an insufficient amount of space. Hunter and Holmes both renewed their applications at every opportunity for the next year, without success. In 1960, attorneys for the two students filed a lawsuit in the federal courts, alleging that the university was not admitting the students based solely on their race. On January 6, 1961, federal judge William A. Bootle ordered the University of Georgia to admit the two students immediately. Holmes and Hunter registered for classes on January 9 and matriculated on January 11. Although a 1956 law prevented the state from funding integrated schools, the legislature, led by Governor Ernest Vandiver, chose instead to permit the university's integration rather than close it down. Holmes and Hunter graduated in 1963. That fall, Holmes became the first African American student at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Emory University had announced it would start admitting African American students in September 1962 after the Georgia Supreme Court ruled private universities could integrate without loosing their tax-exempt status. Holmes graduated from medical school on June 12, 1967.

Title supplied by cataloger.

The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for digital conversion and description of the WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection.

1 clip (about 1 min.): color, sound ; 16 mm.

Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.

WSB-TV newsfilm clip of reporter Gloria Crowe interviewing Hamilton Holmes shortly before his graduation from Emory University School of Medicine about his experience integrating the University of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, 1967 May 30, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 1385, 36:40/37:23, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Ga, as presented in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Forms part of: Civil Rights Digital Library.