Giving Voice to the Voiceless
Giving Voice to
the Voiceless
Overview
The Charlayne Hunter-Gault Giving Voice to the Voiceless Program invites proposals from students from across the University of Georgia to undertake projects that amplify marginalized voices and thus carry forward the work of distinguished alumna, journalist and author Charlayne Hunter-Gault (ABJ ‘63).
The committee’s goal is to recognize and financially support compelling student projects that center on marginalized people or issues, advancing social justice and creating bonds of empathy and understanding.
Ms. Hunter-Gault and her husband, Ron Gault, established the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Giving Voice to the Voiceless Fund to help UGA students engage in projects that amplify the voices of people who have been underrepresented, which has been the guiding light of Ms. Hunter-Gault’s own journalistic and humanitarian career for more than a half century.
In Ms. Hunter-Gault’s words: “I hope this fund will help students find and affirm the voices of people everywhere who fight for freedom, justice and equality for themselves and their people.”
About Charlayne Hunter-Gault
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a 1963 graduate of Grady College, is the first Black woman to attend the University of Georgia. After graduating from UGA, Hunter-Gault joined the staff of The New Yorker, followed by The New York Times, PBS’s MacNeil/Lehrer Report and what is now the PBS NewsHour. In 1997, she became the chief correspondent in Africa for National Public Radio. She joined CNN in 1999 as its bureau chief and correspondent in Johannesburg, South Africa, and returned to NPR as a special correspondent in 2005. She has published several books, including most recently “My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives.” In 2023, Hunter-Gault was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and she has been honored with several awards, including two Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.
2024 PROGRAM GRANTS Sampling
An example of some recent program grants include:
The GVV committee supports this project to support a student tasked with creating “journey” boxes for teachers and eighth grade students in local public schools, including Clarke County. The journey box will contain artifacts and photographs that tell the stories of the Oconee River and its inhabitants and cultures.
Dodd was awarded a grant to support research exploring the intersection of sex trafficking within the child welfare system in the United States, with a specific focus on Black women and girls. GVV funding will assist with research expenses as Dodd determines how Black feminist theory explains the phenomenon of why Black women are overrepresented within the child welfare system, which, in turn, contributes to increased trafficking vulnerabilities.
The objective of this project is to produce interviews with scientists at UGA who have names of Sino, or Chinese, origin and to share their stories of name-based discrimination on a custom website. The committee awarded funds to encourage discussions of linguistic and familial origins and conduct interviews.
Kane is working on a feature article about a “memory choir” movement promising to change the dementia care conversation. Her research shows group singing draws upon brain systems unaffected by the dementia. The story will bring dementia in all communities to the forefront. GVV funding will help Kane document preparations for an upcoming concert, bringing life to research and effects of social singing on chorus members and their caregivers.
Make a donation
Add your voice with a gift to help students give Voice to the Voiceless.
Help students through supporting innovative projects, internships, study abroad experiences, field study and other endeavors.
For information about collaborating with this project or how to add your voice with a gift to students, please contact Taejah Harper.
Taejah Harper, Development Associate
tjharper@uga.edu
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