54 years after landmark trial, Louisville honors Black Six defendants with historic marker

Bailey Loosemore, Louisville Courier Journal
·3 min read
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Mayor Greg Fischer shakes the hand if Manfred Reid Sr. at the unveiling of a historical marker in honor of the Louisville Black Six. A group of business people and activists falsely accused in 1968 of plotting to destroy buildings in the West End. Dec. 30, 2022
Mayor Greg Fischer shakes the hand if Manfred Reid Sr. at the unveiling of a historical marker in honor of the Louisville Black Six. A group of business people and activists falsely accused in 1968 of plotting to destroy buildings in the West End. Dec. 30, 2022
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Walter T. Pete Cosby Jr. can't forget the day Louisville police dragged his father from their home and charged him for a crime he didn't commit.

It was 1968. Cosby was 9 years old. And his dad had been accused, along with five other Black people, of orchestrating a destructive racial justice uprising and conspiring to blow up several buildings, including an oil refinery.

Though a judge later ruled the charges had no merit, the allegations had long-lasting repercussions for Cosby's family, with Walter T. "Pete" Cosby Sr. losing his construction business and home.

"At the end of the day, it seems it was all a lie or a hoax," Cosby said.

Walter T. "Pete" Cosby was a member of the Black Six, accused of plotting to destroy private property during civil disorder in 1968. Cosby is seen here holding a press conference while running for Mayor of Louisville. James N. Keen, The Courier-Journal. Oct. 23, 1973
Walter T. "Pete" Cosby was a member of the Black Six, accused of plotting to destroy private property during civil disorder in 1968. Cosby is seen here holding a press conference while running for Mayor of Louisville. James N. Keen, The Courier-Journal. Oct. 23, 1973

Now, 54 years later, city officials are taking steps to atone for their predecessors' actions.

On Friday, Mayor Greg Fischer unveiled a historic marker honoring the Black Six, as the co-defendants came to be called.

“It is beyond time to rectify the official misdeeds of our past, but not so late that an apology doesn’t matter,” Fischer said at a press conference. “Recognition, contrition and corrective action must happen so all Louisvillians may step together into a more equitable and equal future, built upon an honest acknowledgment and injustice of the past.”

The unveiling of a historical marker in honor of the Louisville Black Six. A group of business people and activists falsely accused in 1968 of plotting to destroy buildings in the West End.
The unveiling of a historical marker in honor of the Louisville Black Six. A group of business people and activists falsely accused in 1968 of plotting to destroy buildings in the West End.

The Black Six:The trial over a 1968 uprising in the West End that stained Louisville history

The marker, located outside Metro Hall on Fifth Street, says it is "dedicated to the Black Six, whose struggle taught us to never give up the battle for dignity and justice."

It's unveiling follows a May panel discussing the Black Six case, organized by The Courier Journal, the Frazier Kentucky History Museum and Lean Into Louisville, during which Fischer apologized to the surviving defendants and their family members.

"Until we acknowledge the harm that's happened in the past, it's hard to move on," Fischer said at the event. "I wasn't there then, but I'm here now. I represent an institution. So I apologize."

Background:Louisville mayor apologizes to Black residents for centuries of systemic racism

Cosby, who attended Friday's press conference, said it's important people know the truth about what happened to his dad and his co-defendants: Samuel Hawkins, Robert Kuyu Sims, Manfred Reid, Ruth Bryant and James Cortez.

And while the marker is appreciated, Cosby said, government leaders need to continue speaking with those impacted by the wrongful charges in order to achieve "some justice."

"We need to do something to make this right," Cosby told The Courier Journal. "You tore up that legacy. Whatever legacy they had, you tore it up."

Mayor Greg Fischer talked at the ceremony for the Louisville Black Six at Metro Hall . A group of business people and activists falsely accused in 1968 of plotting to destroy buildings in the West End. Dec. 31, 2022
Mayor Greg Fischer talked at the ceremony for the Louisville Black Six at Metro Hall . A group of business people and activists falsely accused in 1968 of plotting to destroy buildings in the West End. Dec. 31, 2022

More:New at Louisville's Jefferson Square Park: A memorial for Breonna Taylor and 2020 protests

Bill Allison, a lawyer who represented Cortez, said apologies are important, but he also called for compensation for people who go through "unjust legal battles."

"You carry those struggles, those scars with you the rest of your life," he said. Financial restitution has "happened in some cases around our country and it needs to happen more, and it should happen for the Black Six."

Cheri Bryant Hamilton, daughter of defendant Bryant, said her mother and Allison filed a lawsuit against Louisville Police Chief C.J. Hyde, Mayor Kenneth Schmied and Commonwealth Attorney Edwin Schroering Jr. seeking damages following her acquittal. And while it failed in court, Bryant Hamilton recalls her mother saying the case "will make them think twice before they try this on others."

Before the marker was unveiled, Bryant Hamilton said she hopes it "will encourage the community to learn the lessons only the past can teach and remind us of the importance of speaking up and fighting against injustice anywhere so that our basic constitutional rights will never again be violated.”

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville honors 1968 Black Six trial defendants in historical marker