On September 9, 1957, six-year-old Patricia Watson became the first black child to attend Hattie Cotton Elementary School, as a result of the court mandated desegregation of Nashville public schools. Just after midnight the school was bombed by white supremacists protesting integration.

Hattie Cotton School was published to memorialize the horrific event and honor principal Margaret Cate and all those who helped guide students, faculty, and the surrounding community through the devastation and the difficult period that followed.

A poignant reminder of the anger and malice between whites and blacks during the 1950's. The personal knowledge of one who was there lends itself to a solid understanding of who, why and how they survived and prospered.