We Shall Not Be Moved: The Desegregation of the University of Georgia

by Robert A. Pratt

In September 1950, Horace Ward, an African American student from La Grange, Georgia, applied to law school at the University of Georgia. Despite his impressive academic record, Ward received a reply―in reality, a bribe―from one of the university's top officials offering him financial assistance if he would attend an out-of-state law school. Ward, outraged at the unfairness of the proposition and determined to end this unequal treatment, sued the state of Georgia with the help of the NAACP, becoming the first black student to challenge segregation at the University of Georgia.

Beginning with Ward's unsuccessful application to the university and equally unsuccessful suit, Robert A. Pratt offers a rigorously researched account of the tumultuous events surrounding the desegregation of Georgia's flagship institution. Relying on archival materials and oral histories, Pratt debunks the myths encircling the landmark 1961 decision to accept black students into the namely the notion that the University of Georgia desegregated with very little violent opposition. Pratt shows that when Ward, by then a lawyer, helped litigate for the acceptance of Hamilton Earl Holmes and Charlayne Alberta Hunter, University of Georgia students, rather than outsiders, carefully planned riots to encourage the expulsion of Holmes and Hunter. Pratt also demonstrates how local political leaders throughout the state sympathized with―even aided and abetted―the student protestors.

Pratt's provocative story of one civil rights struggle does not stop with the initial legal decision that ended segregation at the university. He also examines the legacy of Horace Ward and other civil rights pioneers involved in the university's desegregation―including Donald Hollowell and Constance Baker Motley―who continued for a lifetime to break color barriers in the South and beyond. We Shall Not Be Moved is a testament to Horace Ward, Hamilton Holmes, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and others who bravely challenged years of legalized segregation.

Genres: History, Race

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Robert A. Pratt has been a member of UGA's history faculty since 1987. He received his Bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his Master's and PhD from the University of Virginia. He has served formerly as Director of the Institute for African American Studies and Chair of the History Department. His articles and essays have appeared in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Rutgers Law Journal, The University of Richmond Law Review, Howard Law Review, The Georgia Historical Quarterly, and other journals and magazines. He is the recipient of several national fellowships and grants, including a Danforth Foundation Fellowship (1980-1984), a Spencer Foundation Grant (1990), and a Brown Foundation Fellowship (1995). In addition to his books, Pratt has also served as historical consultant for several documentaries.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I had to for a history class at UGA (which was taught by the author). I say that I liked it because it was informative and the subject was interesting. However, the writing style made it feel too much like reading a history book for my taste. Imagine that, a history professor's book reading like a history text. So if you like Georgia history, it's worth reading. Otherwise, it's probably not.

[Jack Robider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I had to read it for my history class and I don’t regret it one bit. It’s extremely eye opening and it’s hard to believe the events that took place. It’s crazy seeing UGA and Athens in such a different light.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful civil rights story, that at times reads like a novel or a court-room thriller. Robert Pratt serves on the History faculty at the University of Georgia, and this book is carefully documented and wonderfully told. Many of us know the story of James Meredith and the integration of the University of Mississippi -- Georgia has their own long story, and Pratt tells it wonderfully.

One of the outstanding heroes of the book is Horace Ward, who initially was denied admission to UGA, taking his law degree at Northwestern instead. Ward served as one of the lawyers in the case that resulted in the first Black students being admitted to UGA. He later went on to become the first Black district judge to serve on the federal bench in Georgia, after being nominated by fellow Georgian, President Jimmy Carter.

Loved to see the outcomes of the first two Black students admitted: Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Holmes went on to med school and developed a successful orthopedic practice. Hunter-Gault graduated with a journalism degree, worked for the New York Times, NPR, MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour, served as CNN's chief correspondent in Africa, and even won two Peabody awards for her coverage of apartheid in South Africa. Hunter-Gault has written a memoir about her experience: In My Place.

I agree with Margaret Crocco's academic review: "Anyone interested in the multifaceted history of the civil-rights era, especially as it unfolded at a prominent southern institution of higher education, will find this a fascinating book."

[Cate Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers the events leading up to, during, and after the fight to desegregate UGA, with shot insightful context, quotes, and excerpts to keep you clear on what’s happening

[Nyla Warburton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ For what it was (an educational history book) it was very interesting, which I don’t usually read, but I enjoyed. It was very informative and I learned a lot about the desegregation of UGA.

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story. Terribly written.