
“His life represents an amazing commitment to fight for justice and equality at a time when the battle for both was stacked against him,” Rosemary Barkett, a former Florida Supreme Court justice and appellate judge, said as part of a January event in which the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society honored Hatchett with a lifetime achievement award. “His life is an example of patience and perseverance and calmness but in the face of daily bouts of injustice and unfairness. As early as grade school, I know that Joe was very keenly aware of the civil-rights movement and the inequality of segregation.”