Charlayne Hunter-Gault, an accomplished print and broadcast journalist and major player in the American civil rights movement, addressed several hundred people last night at the Open VISIONS Forum at Fairfield University.
Her speech, entitled “From Jim Crow to Apartheid South Africa and Beyond: A Journalist’s Journey” consisted of a narrative of her years as a key player in the civil rights movement.
She was introduced as “the Jackie Robinson of journalism,” by Dr. Philip Eliasoph, Director of the Open VISIONS Forum for her work in journalism as a CNN correspondent.
She recalled her perception of race growing up in the South.
“As a child living in Covington, Georgia, this was before I could read,” she said, “I remember going to the picture show, as we called it, and seeing the heroic white Tarzan, with his wife Jane.”
It was in these picture shows that she learned how people felt about African-Americans.
“The thing I remember most about those picture shows is that the hero was always white and the villain was always black,” she said.
On Jan. 9, 1961, Hunter-Gault registered for classes at the University of Georgia. She was the first black person in the century and a half of history of the university.
Amongst many gasps and sighs of compassion emanating from the audience, she related the college admissions process she went through in those days.
“The officials at the university had tried to keep us out,” she said. “However, a federal judge asked that we be admitted.”
Her classmates were hostile toward her and other new African-American students
“When I moved into the dormitory, I had a brick thrown through my window, and also a Coca-Cola bottle,” she said. “It was then that I said to myself, ‘So this is what it’s like to be in the middle of a riot.'”
Despite the opposition, she drew strength from what she was going through
“We saw this as a struggle that would enable us to determine our own destiny,” she said. “It was a fight worth fighting.”
She turned the discussion to her journalism career through a series of personal stories about her experiences in the field.
One of the most moving anecdotes was about a woman named Sister Agatha, whom Hunter-Gault met in 1985 when she was filming “Apartheid’s People,” a segment for “The Newshour with Jim Lehrer.” Sr. Agatha had been the victim of “taunting and beatings” at the hands of the police.
“When she showed us her scars, whip-like scars on her back, and a blood-caked face, I had to leave the room. I collapsed in the kitchen,” she said.
There has been progress from Jim Crow America to Apertheid South Africa and beyond, which was the title of the Hunter-Gault speech, yet there is still room for improvement if America can be more inclusive in its approach to broadcasting international news, particularly from Africa.
America is capable of attaining information and being giving. An example of this, Hunter-Gault said, is the tsunami in
Asia.
She mentioned the word “dream” several times in her address. One attendant asked Hunter-Gault what her dreams consist of these days.
She wants to improve the lack of coverage in American media so that Americans will be properly informed about the issues and be able to use their giving hearts and souls to help.
“My dream is to bring the stories of Africa to people like all of you, to tell the world about horrible injustices, but also good, inspiring things that are happening,” she responded. “I want to tell more people about Sr. Agatha.”
Following her speech, Eliasoph asked Hunter-Gault a series of questions ranging from the influence of her family to her relationship with the “n-word.”
“Ms. Hunter-Gault was marvelous; she was informative, intelligent, poetic, and charming. In sum, she was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening,” said Larri Mazon, director of the Center for Multicultural Relations.
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