Home for Us All: Housing in Louisville & Jefferson

Literature on the Housing Authority is included its background and programs; Mr. Booth, as an executive, discusses the Housing Authority of Louisville. Additional information in the file

Brown discusses her work on the Human Relations Commission. Founded in in 1962, the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission was established City of Louisville to protect its citizens from unlawful discrimination. The following year, the City first adopted an Ordinance prohibiting places of public accommodations from refusing service based on race.

Eighty-eight year old J. W. Everett of Indianapolis, IN recalled his childhood and youth in Louisville, KY in the Black Hill and Beecher Terrace neighborhoods in the 1940s and early 1950s. At age eight, his family had moved from sub-standard housing in the area of Eleventh and Magnolia to the brand-new public housing project called Beecher Terrace, which in that era was segregated for African-Americans. Everett recalls his child there as safe and care-free with the community caring for one-another. In addition, he touches on his school years at Coleridge Taylor Elementary, Madison Junior High, and especially Central High, where he experienced lots of activities for youths as well as one especially committed teacher who led students on lengthy Saturday hikes to the Falls of the Ohio. Mr. Everett further describes the vibrant street life including parades and Derby Time along the lengthy segregated “Old Walnut”—now Muhammad Ali Boulevard—business district. He lists specific business and entertainment sites including his visit as a youth to the iconic Top Hat Nightclub. Finally, the interviewee talks of his Air Force years during the Korean War, his subsequent return and brief employment in Louisville, and his multiple jobs in Indianapolis before finally landing for a lengthy employment at Ford Motor Company.

At the time of the interview in 2012, Mr. Phil Bills and Mr. Michael Hill worked with Metro Planning Design Services. They discuss the impact of zoning on fair housing.

Hinko was executive director of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition at the time of this interview. She talks about public housing, homelessness, partnering with other local organizations to provide services and describes the work she has done within city government around housing. She describes the mission and work of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition.

Lula Howard was the first African American woman to work in planning services for the city of Louisville. She discusses zoning as it relates to racial segregation.

Fair Housing

Ms. Hudson describes her experiences at College Court (Louisville's first housing project), and discusses her career with the Housing Authority of Louisville.

Johnson discusses his long career in civil rights work, his time at the Community Action Agency in Louisville/Jefferson County, and his work with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights as it pertains to the enforcement of fair housing law.

Mr. Mansilla talks about housing in relation to immigrants and refugees in Louisville. At the time of the interview he was Executive Director of the Americana Community Center.

Miller-Cooper talks about housing in relation to her work at the Human Relations Commission.

During Louisville's tumultuous period of school desegregation in the 1970s, Minnis was one of the leaders tapped to ease the transition to an integrated system. For 40 years, minus his stints in Frankfort and Charleston, he served Jefferson County Public Schools, rising to assistant superintendent for diversity, equity and poverty programs. In this interview he talks about the connections between housing and school policy.

Reid started his own real estate company in the early 1960s. He talks about being an agent in the West End during his early career. He talks about his work on resident councils at Beecher Terrace and Cotter Homes. He also discusses his experience as a member of the Black Six. Reid was appointed as chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Louisville Housing Authority in 2000.

Wallace discusses fair housing issues as they relate to the protected classes of sexual orientation and gender identity. She describes her work on passing the Fairness Ordinance as the founder of the Fairness Campaign.

Young worked for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights for a brief time and then moved to the Louisville Jefferson Human Relations Commission as a compliance supervisor. She became directof of the LJHRC in the early 1908s. This interview is only 15 minutes long.