When he and his family moved to the upscale Hancock Park area of Los
Angeles in the late 1940s, they were met with considerable opposition from
the residents of the previously all-white neighborhood. When sent a
letter informing him that the local residents were opposed to
"undesirables" in the neighborhood, he responded with a letter that
said that he and his family were also opposed to undesirables, and
that, if he ever saw any, his neighbors would be the first ones to
know. When the neighbors finally realized - after several attempts,
including legal action - that the Coles were not going to be
intimidated, they accepted defeat and, ultimately, the Coles as well.
Several years after his death, his widow, Maria, sold the home to a
family of wealthy African-Americans. As Maria herself said, "Anyone who
thought Nat was an Uncle Tom clearly did not know the man".
