At the April 15 premiere of the documentary Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice, the School of Social Work announced that the Donald L. Hollowell Professorship of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies has been fully endowed.
The position, the first distinguished professorship named for an African American at UGA, has been endowed through the UGA faculty-hiring initiative, donations and ticket sales from the documentary premiere.
“The person chosen for this distinguished professorship will advocate for social and economic justice for individuals, families and communities and collaborate with the Foot Soldier Project to advance civil rights scholarship,” said Maurice Daniels, dean of the School of Social Work and director of the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr., chair of the Hollowell Professorship endowment committee, made the announcement after the film’s premiere and a panel discussion in which he participated that was moderated by Judge Glenda Hatchett, star of the television series Judge Hatchett. Other panelists included Mary Frances Early, the first African-American UGA graduate, and Federal Judge Horace T. Ward, a member of the law team that sought to desegregate UGA.
“It was my special honor to work with the University of Georgia, the School of Social Work and the university community while serving as chairman of the Donald L. Hollowell Professorship Endowment Committee,” said Jordan. “Mr. Hollowell was one of the most prominent attorneys and social justice advocates during the civil rights era. It is a fitting tribute that the University of Georgia establishes the first distinguished professorship named for an African American in his honor.”
