The cause of death wasn’t released by the family. He was 84.
Hatchett was one of two young lawyers who filed a federal lawsuit against Pontiac Public Schools in 1968 to end its segregation practices.
When U.S. District Judge Damon Keith ruled in their favor, requiring busing to end the segregation, it marked the first such legal victory in a northern state.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled state laws allowing school segregation were unconstitutional, was issued in 1954.
“He was a fighter for justice,” Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman said about Hatchett. “He was a great man and a hero to the people of Pontiac.”
SOM
Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights on the Passing of Elbert Hatchett
Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights on the Passing of Elbert HatchettContact: Vicki Levengood levengoodv@michigan.gov
April 9, 2021
LANSING, MI-James E. White, Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, has issued the following statement on the passing of Atty. Elbert Hatchett.
With the passing of Attorney Elbert Hatchett, Pontiac has lost one of its most prominent citizens and Michigan has lost an exceptional legal mind and civil rights icon. Atty. Hatchett was known for his oratory and legal prowess and, most significantly, for his successful, decade-long battle against segregation in Pontiac schools. He was far ahead of his time, recognizing that the fight for civil rights would never fully succeed until we overcome inequities in educational opportunity. His passion and commitment to the people of Pontiac and the state of Michigan will be sorely missed.