Grant Joan C. Browning Her Degree from Georgia College
Cathy Cox, President of Georgia College
This Women's History Month, let's honor a woman who shaped the history of not only the state of Georgia but the United States! Joan C. Browning was kicked out of Georgia State College for Women for worshipping at a historically Black church. Georgia College must correct past wrongs in order to move towards a just and equitable learning environment for all and to positively build the relationship between the campus and local communities. Grant Joan C. Browning her degree!
Petition by
To:
Cathy Cox, President of Georgia College
From:
[Your Name]
Joan C. Browning was a student at Georgia State College for Women (GSCW) during the Civil Rights era. She attended church at Wesley Chapel AME, a historically Black church that still holds services today. For this, her scholarship was terminated and she was dismissed from the university partway through her junior year.
Despite this, she continued her liberation work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) after moving to Atlanta. Browning was arrested December 10, 1961 for her participation in the Freedom Ride from Atlanta to Albany on the Central Georgia Railroad. She's written and spoken about her experience as a Freedom Rider and still gives talks today as one of the last Freedom Riders still living.
Georgia College honors Browning with a Bobcat award named in her honor; however, this doesn't go far enough in correcting the damage done by derailing her studies for the simple act of worshipping at Wesley Chapel AME Church. In order to be a genuine champion of diversity, inclusion, and equity, as well as to strengthen the relationship between the college and local community, Georgia College must issue an apology and an honorary degree to one of our most notable alumni.
Sources:
https://joanbrowning.com/
http://crdl.usg.edu/people/b/browning_joan_c/?Welcome