Hunter-Gault, Charlayne
1942-present · Contribution: 1963-2005
Journalist; foreign correspondent
Became, alongside Hamilton Holmes, the first African American student to integrate the University of Georgia in 1961, then built a five-decade journalism career as the New York Times' Harlem bureau chief, a PBS NewsHour national correspondent, and Africa bureau chief for NPR and CNN

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Quick facts
- Born
- 1942, Due West, South Carolina
- Active since
- 1963
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- Integrating the University of Georgia; five-decade reporting career on three continents
Impact on the world
Hunter-Gault turned her own history-making integration of a Southern university into a career spanning American and African journalism, chronicling apartheid's end and shaping how U.S. audiences understood a changing continent.
Sources
- Encyclopædia Britannica
1 more sources and references are available to members.
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