Since 1935, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards remains the only American book prize that recognizes books that have made significant contributions to our understanding of racism and human diversity. Joining us at the City Club is this year's Lifetime Achievement award winner, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a civil rights icon and a veteran journalist with a remarkable career.
Hunter-Gault first made history in 1961 when she desegregated the University of Georgia after she mounted a successful legal challenge that granted her admission. In 1963, the Georgia governor declared her marriage to University of Georgia classmate Walter L. Stovall, who was white, “a shame and disgrace.” The state’s Attorney General even threatened prosecution.
Charlayne has worked for The New Yorker, The New York Times, PBS, NPR, and CNN. She has received multiple awards, including an Emmy and Peabody for her distinguished work covering the Apartheid at PBS NewsHour. In her latest book, My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives, Charlayne chronicles her lifelong commitment to reporting on Black people in their totality, from the Civil Rights Movement to the election of Barack Obama, and beyond.