Merritt, Carole

Description

In this interview John Davis (J.D.) Hudson primarily discusses his experiences as one the first black police officers in Atlanta, Georgia, and his subsequent appointment as head of the city’s Department of Prisons and Farms. He explains how initially black officers were restricted to only patrol black neighborhoods and they could not arrest white individuals for any crime. Hudson addresses the resistance he endured on part of the black and white community to his authority as a police officer and department head. He ends the interview by recalling the importance of the shift of mayoral administrations from Sam Massell to Maynard Jackson; discussing the devastating effects that integration had on the city of Atlanta and the black business community; and addressing his view of the power of success for the younger generation.John Davis Hudson was born in Sandersonville, Georgia, and grew up in the Buttermilk Bottoms area of Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a degree in social sciences and religion, and later earned a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia.

Record Contributed By

Atlanta History Center

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia