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University of Georgia College Of Education professor Billy Hawkins has co-edited a book that chronicles the contributions of Harry Edwards as a social activist, scholar and public servant over three decades.

Billy Hawkins, associate professor in the kinesiology department, along with Fritz G. Polite, clinical professor of sport management at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, pays homage to Dr. Harry Edwards in his new book titled, Sport, Race, Activism, and Social Change: The Impact of Dr. Harry Edwards’ Scholarship and Service. The book was published by Cognella in June 2011.

Empowered by the Civil Rights Movement and the creators of Black Power, Edwards emerged as a general in the fight for social justice, equality and human rights. As the architect of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, his activism targeted racial apartheid in the US and in South Africa, as well as the racial injustices occurring within the sphere of sport. His scholarship includes seminal pieces for scholars interested in race, sport, human rights and the discipline of sport sociology.

Hawkins

Before Edwards, little attention was paid to the specific role of black athlete on predominately white campuses or universities. Patterns of exploitation, lack of positive assimilation and the valuing of participation while devaluing education were critical points of Edwards’ philosophy. Thus, the text creates opportunities for undergraduate and graduate level students to question the role of sport in our society.

In February 2010, Hawkins published a book titled, The New Plantation: Black Athletes College Sports, and Predominantly White NCAA Institutions, which uses the plantation model to present black male athletic experiences within a broader historical and social context of people in slavery.

He received his Ph. D. in physical education and sport studies from the University of Iowa.