Summary:
Tony Heitzman, born in 1931 in the Highlands area of Louisville, was a pastor and priest in the Louisville area beginning in 1957 as well as a community organizer. In this interview, Heitzman discusses his working with the Neighborhood Youth Corps, the Community Action Commission and his full time job working in neighborhoods dealing with poverty. Topics include: working in the Russell neighborhood as a community organizer, the push to get a new building for Taylor Coleridge school, the church's reaction and actions following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Louisville riot and the influence it had on his work, his time as a coordinator for the West End Catholic Churches, the Poor People's campaign through Louisville and the role that he played in it, and his time on The West End Team Ministries. Heitzman discusses his time working from 1971-1979 as the pastor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary church in the Parc Duvalle area. Finally, he concludes his interview discussing the impact of the War on Poverty on race relations and the impact of self determination and awareness on those in the Russell area.
Topic(s):
Civil rights--Kentucky--Louisville, African Americans--Kentucky--Louisville, African American neighborhoods--Kentucky--Louisville, Russell (Louisville, Ky.), 1968 Parkland Uprising, Poverty, Religious leaders
