Brenda Cherry (born March 19, 1958) is an American civil rights activist from Paris, Texas.
Cherry is the President and co-founder of Concerned Citizens for Racial Equality, a non-profit civil rights organization located in Paris, Texas. Founded in 2003, CCFRE co-sponsored events with the U.S. Department of Justice, Lone Star Legal Aid, and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Early life
Cherry grew up in Blossom, Texas. Her father, Zeb Reynolds, was a farmer, and her mother, Irene Whitney, was a domestic worker. She began school at T.G. Givens, which was then a segregated school in Paris, Texas. She had to be bused 10 miles to the school even though there was a local school district in the town where she lived. After the schools were forced to integrate, she attended the formerly "whites only" school in Blossom. Cherry graduated from Prairiland High School in Pattonville, Texas. She went on to attend Paris Junior College and East Texas State University. Cherry worked as a Licensed Vocational Nurse for 9 years before becoming a civil rights activist. Cherry has two daughters, Shauncia Cherry and Tiffany Cherry, and one son, Rico Lewis.
Activism
Schoolyard assault
On October 23, 2003, an 11-year-old black student was reportedly attacked by a principal at Crockett Middle School in Paris, Texas. The child was removed from the school and sent to a detention center. Cherry, along with a small group of people, including the child's mother and grandfather, staged a protest in front of the school. During the protest, the child was released from the detention center. This event marked the beginning of several future protest demonstrations in the town.
Shaquanda Cotton
Shaquanda Cotton was an African-American student that attended Paris High School in Paris, Texas. On March 16, 2006, Cotton, aged 14, was arrested for allegedly shoving a school hall monitor. Having no prior criminal history, Cotton was tried and sentenced to up to 7 years in the Texas Youth Commission. During the same time frame, the judge in the case, Chuck Superville, sentenced a Caucasian 14-year-old girl who had a prior criminal history to probation after committing the confirmed crime of arson. Writer Darwin Campbell with African-American News and Issues broke the story, which garnered attention to Cotton's sentencing. After serving a year and one month in prison, the Chicago Tribune story written by Howard Witt led the case to national exposure. A large protest led by comedian Rickey Smiley was held at the Lamar County Courthouse in Paris, Texas. Approximately two weeks after the Tribune article and protest, ShaQuanda was released. Cherry was interviewed by the BBC regarding Cotton, and the case was included in a BBC documentary by United Kingdom reporter Julian O'Halloran.
Brandon McClelland
Brandon McClelland was a 24-year-old African American male who lived in Paris, Texas. On September 16, 2008, his body was found partially dismembered and mutilated on a farm road approximately 17 miles from his home. The local newspaper, The Paris News, reported the death as a hit-and-run by an unknown truck. Due to the activism of Cherry and the Concerned Citizens for Racial Equality, the case gained national attention.
After dispute about whether McClelland was dragged under the truck or behind it, and while awaiting autopsy reports, USA Today interviewed Cherry. "Authorities have not seriously considered the possibility that this was a hate crime. There's a problem in Paris, Texas. I don't see a difference in getting dragged behind a truck and getting dragged under a truck."
Further investigation revealed that McClelland was last seen alive with two Caucasian men, Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley, both of whom had extensive criminal history. Anderson Cooper 360° reported that the two men were charged with killing McClelland and both subsequently pleaded "not guilty." Special prosecutor Toby Shook cited lack of evidence to the case, and the murder charges were dropped in June 2009. The two men were released. CBS News quoted Cherry, "His body was dragged and nobody gets charged? Even if a trucker came forward, that's all it takes? Even the trucker's not charged? If you hit someone, you don't get charged? Nobody gets charged with this? It's not surprising, but it's sad. It appears that a black man's life means nothing here in Paris." Multiple protests have been led by Cherry, along with Jim Blackwell and the New Black Panther Party. The case remains an open murder investigation.