“Saving the Soul of Georgia” tells story of pioneering civil rights lawyer

The University of Georgia Press has released a new book, “Saving the Soul of Georgia: Donald L. Hollowell and the Struggle for Civil Rights,” by Maurice C. Daniels, professor and dean of the University of Georgia School of Social Work.

Hollowell was Georgia’s chief civil rights attorney during the 1950s and 1960s. Best remembered for orchestrating the legal battle that resulted in the admission of Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter to UGA in 1961, he also defended African-American men accused or convicted of capital crimes in a racially oppressive legal environment. Hollowell represented activists arrested for their civil rights work, and fought to overturn laws that maintained state-sanctioned racial discrimination.

“Hollowell’s civil rights work extended far beyond the desegregation of UGA,” said Daniels. “His lawyering and activism had a major impact on changing the racial landscape in Georgia—surmounting racial barriers in public secondary education, voting, housing, and public accommodations, among others. His body of work helped to establish legal precedents that protected the rights of social justice advocates.”

In conjunction with the book’s release, WUGA-TV will broadcast the Telly Award-winning documentary “Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice” throughout December and early January. Daniels served as executive producer of the documentary, which was developed by the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies in partnership with the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies at University of Georgia.

Scheduled air dates and times of the hour-long documentary are: Dec. 23 at 5 p.m., Dec. 24 at 8 p.m., Dec. 27 at 10 a.m., Dec. 29 at 2 p.m., Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. and Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. To find a list of local affiliates of WUGA-TV carrying the broadcast, click here.

For more information on the book, click here.

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