The 60th anniversary of the Freedom March on Frankfort — a protest that brought together Gov. Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt, of Hopkinsville, and civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — will be observed with a reenactment on Tuesday, March 5, in the state capital.
An estimated 10,000 Kentuckians participated in the march on March 5, 1964, including several from Hopkinsville. The marchers called on state lawmakers to support integration of schools, businesses and public places such as theaters.
Tandy Anderson Coatney told Hoptown Chronicle she remembers riding in a station wagon that was part of a caravan from Hopkinsville to Frankfort. She was an eighth-grader at Koffman Junior High School — likely the only student from her school who marched. Her mother, Mimi Anderson, was among a small group of white residents at that time who were vocal supporters of civil rights. She got permission from Koffman principal James Bravard for her daughter to miss school that day.
“I remember feeling really proud that I got to be there,” Coatney said. “I knew it was important that we would drive all the way to Frankfort and get out of school.”
Coatney, a retired school guidance counselor, said she remembers arranging to meet up at the march with her Hopkinsville friend and former classmate, Mary Fran Breathitt, who was one of the Breathitt children. Some memories of the day have faded, but Coatney recalls that a news reporter approached them and asked the governor’s daughter for a comment.
The Breathitt family had moved to Frankfort to settle in the Governor’s Mansion a few months prior to the march. An attorney and former state representative, Breathitt, a 39-year-old Democrat, took office following his inauguration on Dec. 10, 1963.
Among celebrities who joined King and Breathitt in the march were Hall of Fame baseball player Jackie Robinson and folk musicians Peter, Paul and Mary.
A Black student who had enrolled in her first integrated classes at Frankfort High School that year also recalled Mary Fran Breathitt’s participation in march. In an oral history interview recorded in December 2021, Sheila Mason said students had heard their principal intended to suspend students who skipped school to attend the march. So Mason and others joined the march during their lunch break and then rushed back to class.
In her interview, Mason said she regretted not spending more time at the march — especially after Mary Fran Breathitt’s participation reportedly caused the principal to back off plans to discipline students who missed classes to march.
Many years later, Mason, who works for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, encountered former Gov. Breathitt during an event at Kentucky State University in Frankfort and shared her memory of that day and how his daughter’s participation helped her classmates avoid suspension. The principal couldn’t discipline the young marchers when the governor’s daughter was among them.
Mary Fran Breathitt died in 2008. Her sister, Linda Breathitt, just 13 months younger, was jealous that she didn’t get to leave school that day.
“She skipped school because they didn’t let schools out,” said Linda Breathitt, of Lexington, in a phone interview. “I used to tell Mary Fran all the time, ‘Why didn’t you come get me?’”
Two years after the march, state lawmakers passed the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, the first of its kind by a Southern state. The legislation is often cited as one of Breathitt’s most significant achievements. It was noted prominently in a ceremony three months ago to dedicate a statue of Breathitt in front of the Christian County Courthouse.
Participating in the reenactment
Members of the public who want to join the reenactment activities will meet at between 8 and 9:45 a.m. CST on Tuesday, March 5, at the Capital City Museum, 325 Ann St., Frankfort, for refreshments, sign-making and an appearance by actor Darryl Van Leer, who plays King, according to a story in Northern Kentucky Tribune.
Marchers will depart at 9:45 a.m. and head to the Kentucky Capitol. A program on the Capitol steps will feature Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Gerald Neal and activist Mattie Jones.
Exploring more civil rights history
The Kentucky Historical Society has planned two events on Saturday, March 2, in downtown Frankfort to highlight the 60th anniversary of the march.
A one-hour walking tour, “Before King Came to Town: Resistance to Oppression in Kentucky 1830-1910,” will start at 11 a.m. EST at the Old State Capitol, 300 Broadway St.
“When we talk about Civil Rights, we tend to think about the time after WWII through the 1960s. However, these struggles have been ongoing since Kentucky’s beginnings,” organizers of the walk said. “Walking through historic downtown Frankfort and the Old State Capitol, we will recount ways that enslaved and oppressed people fought the injustices they faced during the 19th and early 20th centuries.”
There is a $5 for KHS members and $10 for non-members. Registration is available online.
A film screening of the documentary the chronicles the march, “The Music, the March, the Movement,” will be shown at noon CST, also at the Old State Capitol.
Joanna Hay will screen her documentary produced with Dr. Le Datta Grimes, and a question-and-answer session will follow. It is a free event, but online registration is requested of those planning to attend.
This story was originally published by the Hoptown Chronicle.
