Donald Lee Hollowell (December 19, 1917 – December 27, 2004) was an American

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

attorney during the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

, in the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He successfully sued to integrate Atlanta's public schools, Georgia colleges, universities and public transit, freed

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

from prison, and mentored civil rights attorneys (including

Vernon Jordan Vernon Eulion Jordan Jr. (August 15, 1935 – March 1, 2021) was an American business executive and civil rights attorney who worked for various civil rights movement organizations before becoming a close advisor to President Bill Clinton. Jor ...

and

Horace Ward Horace Taliaferro Ward (July 29, 1927 – April 23, 2016) was a lawyer, state legislator, and judge in Georgia. He become known for his efforts to challenge the racially discriminatory practices at the University of Georgia School of Law and was ...

). The first black regional director of a federal agency (the

EEOC The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

), Hollowell is best remembered for his instrumental role in winning the

desegregation Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1961. He is the subject of a 2010 documentary film, ''Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice.''obituary: "Donald L. Hollowell, 87, Lawyer Who Fought for Civil Rights"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', January 2, 2005; retrieved May 23, 2017.Suggs, Ernie
Donald L. Hollowell Obituary: "Civil rights pioneer made friends, history"
December 29, 2004, '' Atlanta Journal-Constitution,''

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, as transcribed at Legacy.com, retrieved May 23, 2017.Associated Press (Atlanta, Ga.)
"Wichita civil rights lawyer recalled"
, January 2, 2005, ''Topeka Capital-Journal,'' retrieved May 23, 2017.
in ''Donald L. Hollowell Professorship,'' Office of Communications, Georgia School of Social Work at

, retrieved May 23, 2017.Crosby, Emilye,

Tomiko Brown-Nagin Tomiko Brown-Nagin (born c. 1970) is an American law professor, historian, author, and university leader. She is dean of Harvard Radcliffe Institute, one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary research across the humanities, scien ...

Charlayne Hunter-Gault Charlayne Hunter-Gault (born February 27, 1942) is an American civil rights activist, journalist and former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service. Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes were the ...

; Polly J. Price, Kenneth W. Mack and Sarah H. Brown, as cited in (book)"Reviews:"
Saving the Soul of Georgia: Donald L. Hollowell and the Struggle for Civil Rights
'' by Maurice C. Daniels (foreword by Vernon E. Jordan Jr.), University of Georgia Press, retrieved May 23, 2017.

Biography

Early years

Donald Hollowell was born in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, and spent much of his childhood in

Eureka, Kansas Eureka is a city in and the county seat of Greenwood County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,332. History The first settlement at Eureka was in 1857. The first post office in Eureka was establis ...

. He earned a high school diploma while serving six years in the U.S. Army's 10th Cavalry Regiment (the original

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

regiment). Although in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

and therefore not subject to the racist

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

of the South, he faced blatant

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

and discrimination while serving in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Hollowell recounted that "army officials relegated him to eating in the kitchen, sleeping in quarters adjacent to prisoners, and patronizing Jim Crow canteens." Hollowell's experiences with

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...

and discrimination and his involvement with the

Southern Negro Youth Congress The Southern Negro Youth Congress was an American organization established in 1937 at a conference in Richmond, Virginia. The Southern Negro Youth Congress consisted of young leaders who participated in the National Negro Congress. The first gath ...

after the war inspired him to pursue the study of law to help in the fight for social justice.FSP Unsung Foot Soldiers.
/ref> In 1947, Hollowell graduated magna cum laude from

Lane College Lane College is a private historically black college associated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and located in Jackson, Tennessee. It offers associate and baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences. History Lane College was f ...

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackson ...

, and he earned his law degree from

Loyola University Chicago School of Law Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago. Loy ...

in 1951.

Legal career

In 1952, Hollowell set up a law practice in

, where he began to play a major role in the burgeoning

struggle. Hollowell became well known for fighting

in the State of Georgia. Hollowell sued the

, charging the institution with racist admission policies. The suit ended in 1961 with a federal court order demanding the admission of two

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

students, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton E. Holmes. In 1960, Hollowell and co-counsel

won a victory in the

Georgia Court of Appeals The Georgia Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. History Founding of the court The genesis of the Court of Appeals began with a report by the State Bar of Georgia in 1895, ...

which secured the release of

from the

Georgia State Prison Georgia State Prison was the main maximum-security facility in the US state of Georgia for the Georgia Department of Corrections. It was located in unincorporated Tattnall County. First opened in 1938, the prison housed some of the most dange ...

. In another case, Hollowell and members of his firm prevented the

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

of a 15-year-old black youth from

Monticello, Georgia Monticello is the largest city and the county seat of Jasper County, Georgia, United States. The city includes historic buildings such as the Jasper County Courthouse, Monticello High School and the Monticello Historic District. The populati ...

five days before it was scheduled to take place. Hollowell and civil rights champion C. B. King also defended Dr. King and hundreds of civil rights activists in the historic civil rights campaign in

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia m ...

known as the

Albany Movement The Albany Movement was a desegregation and voters' rights coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, in November 1961. This movement was founded by local black leaders and ministers, as well as members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commi ...

. In 1966, President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

appointed Hollowell as regional director of the

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

(EEOC), a government agency that monitors workplace discrimination. This appointment made Hollowell the first black regional director of a major federal agency. He remained with the EEOC for nearly 20 years. He also served as president of the

Voter Education Project Voter Education Project (VEP) raised and distributed foundation funds to civil rights organizations for voter education and registration work in the southern United States from 1962 to 1992. The project was federally endorsed by the Kennedy adminis ...

, where he helped increase the number of

voters from 3 million to 5.5 million. In 2002, the

awarded Hollowell its honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

degree.

Personal

Hollowell was a dedicated member of

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

fraternity. In 1968, he received the Fraternity's highest honor, the Laurel Wreath Award, for his work in

. Hollowell was married to Louise T. Hollowell, a magna cum laude graduate of Morris Brown College and a distinguished Professor of English (Emeritus) at

Morris Brown Morris Brown (January 8, 1770 – May 9, 1849) was one of the founders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and its second presiding bishop. He founded Emanuel AME Church in his native Charleston, South Carolina. It was implicated in the sl ...

. In 1997, Louise Hollowell and Martin Lehfeldt authored a book titled ''The Sacred Call: A Tribute to Donald L. Hollowell—Civil Rights Champion'', which chronicles Hollowell's service and achievements. The book also tells the love story of Donald and Louise Hollowell, who celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in 2004. Attorney and Mrs. Hollowell had no children, but were the godparents to Dr. Albert J. H. Sloan, II, past President of Miles College (HBCU) outside of Birmingham, Alabama.

Death and legacy

Hollowell died on December 27, 2004, eight days after his 87th birthday, of heart failure. To honor him, the City of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

renamed Bankhead Highway (

U.S. 78 U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 715 miles (1,151 km) from Memphis, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. From Byhalia, Mississippi to Birmingham, Alabama, US 78 is concurrent with Interstate ...

) in his honor;

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

named a professorship in his honor, as well. Hollowell is the subject of a 2010 documentary film, ''Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice,'' and a full-length biography published in 2013 by

University of Georgia Press The University of Georgia Press or UGA Press is the university press of the University of Georgia, a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia. It is the oldest and largest publishing house in Georgia and a ...

.Polly J. Price, "Review: ''Saving the Soul of Georgia: Donald L. Hollowell and the Struggle for Civil Rights,'' by Maurice C. Daniels," ''Journal of American History,'' vol. 101, no. 4 (March 2015), pp. 1326–1327.

Footnotes

External links

Donald L. Hollowell Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollowell, Donald Lee 1917 births 2004 deaths People from Wichita, Kansas African Americans in World War II United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II Lane College alumni Loyola University Chicago School of Law alumni People from Atlanta Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Activists for African-American civil rights 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century African-American people African-American United States Army personnel