University Of Georgia’s first Black graduate releases memoir ‘Quiet Trailblazer’

Her name may not be famous, but her role in the Civil Rights Movement was monumental. Mary Frances Early, author of “The Quiet Trailblazer: My Journey as the First Black Graduate of the University of Georgia,” endured acts of extreme racism in her pursuit of education in music. Many considered her an unlikely candidate to become a Civil Rights Movement activist and inspiration, always quiet and studious. Early joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes over the telephone to share reflections on her brave years pursuing an education in one of the most violent decades for Black citizens in America’s history. 

Interview highlights:

On Early’s love of classical music, and the challenge of its pursuit in the segregated South: