50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
LIFE, LIBERTY & JUSTICE
Overcoming the Struggle for Equality
By Hon. Brenda Hill Cole (Ret.)
State Court of Fulton County,
Sr. State Court Judge and a registered neutral with JAMS
T
he Hon. Brenda Hill Cole (Ret.) served as Judge of
the State Court of Fulton County from 1998-2012.
The following is an interview conducted by The Hon.
Diane Bessen, which highlights The Hon. Brenda Hill Cole’s
experience and involvement with the Civil Rights Movement.
our church after pistol whipping a black man and forcing
him to empty his pockets at the altar. Our family moved to
Gladewater, Texas shortly after that incident where we did
not experience violence and had better but still segregated
schools.
TAL: Not to be disrespectful, but unlike many of the
current members of the Atlanta legal community, you not
only lived through the enactment of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, but as a young Spelman student, I understand
you were actively involved in protests and activities of the
civil rights movement. What years were you at Spelman
and what was that time like?
TAL: Did you participate in any marches or sit-ins that
are particularly memorable?
BHC: I was 16 years old when I went to Spelman in
September of 1959. The students of the Atlanta University
Center (comprised of Atlanta University, Clark College (now
Clark Atlanta University); the Interdenominational Theological
Center, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College and
Spelman College) organized protests against segregation
and discrimination in February of 1960, after publishing a
document called “An Appeal for Human Rights”. I participated
in the protests by meeting, marching, picketing and almost
getting arrested.
TAL: What kind of personal experiences did you have, in
terms of being a person of color, living in a segregated
South?
BHC: I was born in Joaquin, Texas, a very small town, and
grew up in a segregated society. I knew the restrictions of
segregation but did not understand the reasons for them.
The black community was a close and nurturing one and
my mother and father were educators who protected us as
much as possible from the harmful and negative impact of
segregation. I recall asking why we could not go to parks, why
we had to sit upstairs at the movies and not being satisfied
with the answers. The worst experience was the sheriff
and deputies interrupting a Wednesday evening service in
8 THE ATLANTA LAWYER
October 2014
BHC: I was filled with apprehension at the first march
downtown and picketing Rich’s Department store because I
did not know what to expect. There was no violence but the
memory of taking a stand against segregation with so many
others remains with me. A memorable event occurred while
picketing an A & P grocery store when I noticed Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. encouraging the students from across the
street. Equally as memorable but not in a positive way was
the sight of members of the Ku Klux Klan in uniform opposing
our protests at another march. The most memorable march
was when we were picketing Grady Hospital. The sound of
sirens soon filled the air and police wagons appeared and
began arresting students. My parents had given me strict
orders not to be involved in the protests so I was concerned
that I might be sent home whenever I got out of jail. I was in
the last group and just before they reached us, all the wagons
filled up. I breathed a sigh of relief since I did not want to
make that call to my parents.
TAL: Were you a member of SNCC (Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee) or any comparable organization?
BHC: I was not a member of SNCC although several of the
members of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights,
which led the Atlanta Student Movement, were founding
members of SNCC.
TAL: Did your parents know what you were doing and if
so what did they think about it?
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association