The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/4/07 Section: News

Media Credit: NIC LLOYD Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin delivered the 22nd Annual Holmes-Hunter lecture Tuesday in honor of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the first black students to enroll at the University in 1961. Franklin also spoke of the Mayor's Youth Program.

With her signature flower on one lapel and a Bulldog pin on the other, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin delivered the 22nd Annual Holmes-Hunter lecture Tuesday afternoon.

In honor of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who in 1961 became the first black students to enroll at the University, the first black woman mayor of Atlanta spoke on the vast improvements made since the two students "busted the door open for everyone at the University."

"One of my favorite places to be is a university campus because I love freedom of speech," Franklin said.

During her lecture, the mayor recounted her experiences in fighting for civil rights, including marching in Washington in 1963 when she was a student at Howard University.

"I never wanted to go into politics," the mayor said, stating family members and a few of her girlfriends were the ones who convinced her to run for mayor.

"Having Mayor Franklin here today is not only good for the University but also for the state of Georgia," said Black Affairs Council president Brandon Hall. "It shows the strength and openness of the University to bring in someone who has been a mouthpiece for civil rights in the state."

The mayor spoke not only of the Holmes-Hunter legacy but also of the Mayor's Youth Program, designed to help students of the Atlanta Public School system find funding to go to college. Fourteen University students are the product of the mayor's program.

"This University needs a need-based scholarship program," Franklin said. "How many students fall through the cracks because they think they can't afford to go to college?"

Franklin also quoted icons such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington and Ludacris during her speech.

Mamie Harper, president of the University chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, introduced Franklin at the lecture.

"It is not only a distinct honor for the Holmes-Hunter lecture to have Mayor Franklin here today, but also an inspiration for students across generations," Harper said. "She is an inspiration for me to do what I do at NAACP."

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