GSU to honor three icons who sued to desegregate the institution

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    ATLANTA, GA (WGCL) — Georgia State University officials will honor three woman who helped change the trajectory of the university.

Officials will honor Myra Payne Elliott, Barbara Pace Hunt, and Iris Mae Welch, three women who sued to desegregate the institution in the 1950s.

Despite a court’s ruling in their favor, the Board of Regents and laws enacted by the state legislature continued to prevent them from enrolling at the university. Georgia State University didn’t integrate until 1962.

Because of their challenge to segregation, the women faced hatred, vile statements from state legislators and threats from white supremacists, including members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Myra Payne Elliott,87, the last surviving of the three, and the family of Barbara Pace Hunt, are all expected to attend the ceremony.

The event will take place today at 4:00 p.m. at the Student Center, located at 55 Gilmer St, southeast Atlanta.

Author Maurice Davis, ‘Ground Crew: The Fight to End Segregation at Georgia State’, will discuss the women’s struggles and their victories.

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