Celebrating civil rights activist and beloved Nashville native King Hollands

King Hollands had his first experience as a civil rights leader in 1954 as one of the first of 14 Black students to desegregate Father Ryan High School. Just a few years later, after participating in training for non-violent protests, he was part of the sit-in movement at Woolworth's that sought to desegregate Nashville’s downtown lunch counters. Throughout his life, as a member of the Metro Human Relations Commission, as president of the Organized Neighbors of Edgehill, and even as a neighbor to all here in Nashville, Mr. Hollands continued to step up to injustice, fight to preserve Nashville’s African American history, and love his family and friends.

King Hollands is part of our history. It can be easy to think of him as someone written about in news articles and history books. But he was also a person, brimming with love and warmth. To tell us more about King Hollands, the person, we’re joined by two people who knew and loved him best, his lifelong friend and the mother of his children, Mary Ellen Forrester-Hollands, and his daughter, Kisha Turner.

Guests:


Mary Ellen Forrester-Hollands, lifelong friend and family member
Kisha Turner, daughter
Bill Forrester, lifelong friend


Further Reading and Listening


Tennessean | 'Rest in Power': Nashville Civil Rights activist King Hollands dead at 82
This is Nashville |  Remembering the Nashville sit-ins
This Is Nashville | Exploring the legacy of Nashville’s Freedom Riders
This Is Nashville | The Woolworth building is a key civil rights site. Preserving that history has been fraught with uncertainty.


This episode was produced by Katherine Ceicys, Mary Mancini, and Magnolia McKay.