Professor recognized for literary excellence

University of North Georgia (UNG) history professor Dr. Dee Gillespie won the Julia Cherry Spruill Prize for "best book in Southern women's history, broadly construed" by the Southern Association for Women Historians.

Gillespie wrote "The Citizenship Education Program and Black Women's Political Culture" to describe the efforts of Black women in the civil rights movement. The book draws on teachers' reports and correspondence, oral history interviews, and papers from a variety of civil rights organizations.

"I'm honored to receive this recognition," Gillespie said. "This prize is a wonderful endorsement of my work. More importantly, the prize honors local Black women's significant leadership in voter registration, political education, and community organizing during the civil rights movement."

Dr. Jeff Pardue, UNG history, anthropology, and philosophy department head, was pleased with Gillespie's recognition.

"This award both affirms the quality of her scholarship and highlights the less well-documented significance of women and civil rights," Pardue said. "We are very proud of her."