“Sometimes I feel like a motherless child…”
Monica Kaufman Pearson opened with a song while delivering the 2019 Holmes Hunter lecture at the University of Georgia Chapel this afternoon. The former Atlanta news anchor presented a powerful speech to a packed house.
Pearson’s address was no kumbaya moment, it was a firm, decisive call to action for those in attendance. She says she wanted the audience members of all races to tackle the often thorny topic of race.
“It just concerns me, when I see young people who are saying things that I heard back in 1956 and 57,” Pearson said. “People who weren’t even thought of, who have these racist ideas and then want to defend them?”
After a heavy sigh Pearson continued.
“I’m hoping what every student took out of here and every adult is that you can’t just talk the talk, you got to walk it. And it means changing the way you talk to people, thinking about how you describe people, think about the jokes you tell.”
Pearson, who earned a Master’s Degree at UGA, said she was honored to be a part of the Hunter-Holmes legacy.
“It really was overwhelming for me, and it took me longer to write this speech I think than any other speech I’ve ever written because I wanted to be impactful.”
Hamilton Holmes widow and children and Mary Frances Early attended this year’s speech.