Civil Rights Movement in Louisville

Adlene Howard Abstain (b. 1943 in Montgomery, Alabama, d. 2015, in Louisville, Kentucky) describes her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement through voter registration efforts, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, fair housing efforts, work as a pastor at The Fountain of Life Word and Worship Center, and community organization in Louisville.

Bill Allison, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, acted as an appeals attorney for one of the Black Six defendants, Ruth Bryant. The Black Six were a group of five men and one woman who were prosecuted for inciting rebellion during the Parkland Uprising of 1968. Allison also represented the Black Panthers in Louisville and in Memphis, Tennessee. In this interview, Allison speaks about cases he was involved in involving government repression and retaliation against Civil Rights activists and how he became involved in that work through the Southern Conference Educational Fund, serving as SCEF's lawyer from 1969 to 1974.

Mervin Aubespin (b. 1937 in Louisiana), a reporter for the Courier-Journal, talks about his path to the Civil Rights movement starting in Alabama and then in Louisville; Louisville during segregation; housing discrimination; and white flight. As an activist, Aubespin participated in marches, sit-ins, voter registration and organization for public accommodation, open housing, and to integrate Fontaine Ferry. Aubespin was originally hired by the Courier-Journal an artist, one of the first Black employees there. He covered the Parkland Uprising but did not get a byline or credit for his work. He then attended an intensive program at Columbia University to produce Black journalists and had a successful career as a reporter for the Courier-Journal, specializing in covering topics of interest to the Black community. Regarded as an expert on racism and the media, Aubespin is a past president of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and was given the Ida B. Wells Award for his efforts to bring minorities into the field of journalism. Aubespin was also the founder of the Louisville Association of Black Communicators.

Delores White Baker (1929-2012) speaks about her childhood in the West End in Louisville and her experiences living in New York and other southern states where she became increasingly aware of the prejudice around her. The focus of the interview is on Baker's experience of the intersection of the arts--particularly dance and theater--and race in the Louisville community. Baker was active with the West End Community Council, which focused on open housing, school integration, health and welfare, and the arts and helped shape the West End after a certain amount of white flight from that area. Baker's focus was on the arts. She started ballet and dance classes for children and organized drama and theater productions. She was director of the city-wide Arts and Talent Festival that took place annually in Chickasaw Park and highlighted local talents in the visual arts, music, dance, theater, etc. She was also involved with the Genesis Arts organization that provided classes for disadvantaged children in the community and the Pigeon Roost Theater players, a black West End based theater group focusing on poetry, music, and drama. Baker emphasizes the importance of exposing children to culture, her thoughts on the state of the Black community in Louisville, the anti-racism movement, and her relationships with local churches.

Robert Benson (b. 1942 in Lousville), Louisville lawyer and former Kentucky legislator, speaks about his experiences with the Civil Rights Movement and some of its leaders in Louisville. Topics include how he became aware of prejudice in the community and got involved with the Open Housing movement; the demonstrations for Open Housing; his experiences representing the Hikes Point/Highlands district from 1974-1980; his friendship with ACLU lawyer Thomas Hogan, who filed the lawsuit that lead to desegregation efforts in Louisville; the passing of laws merging Jefferson County school districts; the passing of laws to desegregate the resulting combined school district; and the backlash and demonstrations against desegregation and busing.

Native Louisvillian Norbert L. Blume (1922-2011) speaks about his career in labor and Kentucky politics. Topics include: became aware of prejudice in WWII in the service; getting involved with the labor movement and became a leader of the Teamsters; his work in the Kentucky General Assembly from 1963 to 1968; running for Congress in 1964 and 1966; being Speaker of the House in the Kentucky General Assembly; introducing and passing of public accommodations legislation (the "Blume Bill") and a student-led hunger strike in its support; Democratic party involvement and campaigns; activities of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union, of which he was a founder; work on a Kentucky Equal Rights Amendment; and his colleagues in labor and civil rights work.

Civil Rights activist and journalist Anne Braden talks about her early years as an activist in Louisville from 1947 through the early 1950s. The focus is on the intersection of the labor movement and the Civil Rights movement, including integration within labor union. Topics include Braden's career as a reporter, the Farm Equipment Workers Union, the Progressive Party, and the beginnings of the movement for integrated hospitals in Louisville.

Civil Rights activist and journalist Anne Braden talks about the Civil Rights Movement in Louisville in the 1950s and 1960s. Topics explored include eforts for school integration, the public reaction to it, her family's experiences with school integration, and redistricting of the city; the West End Community Council and its efforts to keep the West End neighborhood integrated, white flight, and the open housing movement; the activities of SCEF (Southern Conference Educational Fund); the emergence of youth movements; the beginnings of groups like CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), the Committee for Democratic Schools, and the Gandhi Corps; Black Power organizations in Louisville like JOMO (Junta of Militant Organizations) and the Black Panthers; the trial of the Black 6 and the protests surrounding it; and many individuals who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Civil Rights Activist Ruth Bryant (1923-2013) speaks about her childhood and family history growing up in Detroit; her move to Louisville and observations about housing available to Black Louisvillians; how she became interested in and active in the open housing movement; her work with Committee on Community Development oversaw all federal funding that came into Louisville and how it was dispersed; and her involvement with other organizations such as the West End Community Council, Head Start, Citizens' Advisory Committee under the Urban Renewal Program, Black Unity League of Kentucky, and Women United for Social Action. She also talks about her arrest at open housing demonstrations and her memories of the 1968 Parkland Uprising. She mentions but does not speak at length about being one of the "Black Six," a group of Black Louisvillians accused of inciting rebellion during the 1968 Parkland Uprising and charged with conspiracy to destroy property and to blow up West End chemical plants.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights Movement in Louisville interview

Sister Colley, formerly Sister John Martin, was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1928. She served in the Archdiocese of Louisville for nearly half a century as an educator, mediator, facilitator, trainer in mediation and conflict management. She served as principal of Christ the King School from 1961 to 1964. She then was appointed to Supervisor of Schools for the Louisville Archdiocese. In the interview, Sister Colley speaks of witnessing prejudice firsthand in the very segregated city of Nashville as a child. She said she realized that racism was unjust, though her own parents subscribed to such beliefs in her youth. Her formative years were spent in Texas, where she was educated by the Sisters of Loretto. She would join the order right out of high school. Once she was relocated to Louisville in 1961, she would go on to join the West End Community Council and become the secretary of the council. Through her involvement, she helped to combat many social justice issues that plagued the city at the time, namely the Open Housing cause and the War on Poverty. Her work specifically with the War on Poverty led to her work with the Head Start programs in the city. Sister Colley states that education was the best path to combat the effects of racial equality. Sister Colley recalls her friendship with Anne Braden, whom she defended against accusations of Communism and prevented her from being expelled from the WECC. She also recalls how she marched with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. when he came to Louisville in 1967 and how she also travelled to Washington D.C. to protest the inauguration of Richard Nixon in 1969.

Civil Rights Movement in Louisville interview; no tape, no transcript

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights Movement in Louisville interview

Eleanor Foreman, born in Louisville in 1926, was raised in the Fort Hill neighborhood and was an only child. In this interview, she talks about her life growing up, her first job, and her career life. She went to Municipal College in 1946, then later went to Bellarmine, during this time as well, she got her real estate license. Foreman then went on to work at the Louisville Medical Depot for 7 years and the Army Corps of Engineers, where she worked with computers. She worked for the government as well where she worked on negotiating with people and moving them from their houses. Her work had her travelling in places such as Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Eastern Kentucky, where she discusses her experiences as a black woman. While working in these jobs, Foreman worked as a real estate broker in Louisville too. She and her partner, Alice Mobley, worked together for years and were focused on selling houses in the West End. Eleanor Foreman discusses the place of Black individuals in the real estate business, the obstacles she faced as a black woman, and how she attempted to integrate neighborhoods through house buying in order for Black families to receive the same benefits as white families. Foreman continued her work as a real estate broker after Alice Mobley passed away and continued to work with the community in various ways up until her interview.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

David Gettleman was born in Louisville in 1927. His father was a Rabbi who instilled the desire for racial equality among all of his children. Growing up in the Jewish minority in the city, David states that he did face prejudice of his own, which only strengthened his resolve to fight for others. David started college at the University of Louisville at only 16 years old, before leaving for a year and a half to serve in the Navy during World War II. Upon returning to Louisville, David went on to attend law school and he immediately began practicing in the city upon graduation. He mentions being an “Outspoken Liberal” while he was a student, as well as the chairman of the student body. He worked as a lawyer in Louisville for over 50 years. In the interview, David recounts stories of his time as an advocate for social justice causes. One such story highlights the racial prejudice of the Louisville Country Club, as they would not allow visitor Arthur Ashe, one of the best tennis players of all time, to use the country club pool during his visit. The majority of the interview is dedicated to David’s time spent with the American Friends Service Committee; a Quaker founded organization. He worked very close with African American activist, Betty Taylor. The organization founded the Park DuValle Neighborhood Health Center. He recounts working with other Louisville activists such as Dora Rice and Mansir Tydings. He specifically recounts being on many interracial committees with Tydings, as both men were staunch advocates for racial equality and desegregation. David helped draft local legislation for social justice issues and worked on the Open Accommodations and Open Housing movements.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Ira Grupper was born in New York City in 1944. Before moving to Louisville in 1969, Ira was involved in rent strikes in New York and he took part in the Civil Rights movement all over the South with the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). In this interview, Ira talks about his personal friendship with Carl and Anne Braden, whom he worked alongside as part of the SCEF (Southern Conference Education Fund). Other topics include Ira’s work as a commissioner and eventual Vice-Chairman of the Louisville and Jefferson County Human Relations Commission. He talks about being a staunch advocate for workers rights and an improvement in labor conditions. He also discusses his involvement with the busing situation during the 1970s and his role as an outreach spokesman who went to white communities to attempt to persuade them to support desegregation in the local schools.

Cheri Bryant Hamilton, born and raised in the West End of Louisville, attended Fisk University for her undergraduate degree and went on to get a law degree at North Carolina Central University. In this interview, Hamilton discusses getting involved in the Civil Rights Movement at a young age, following behind her mother's activism. She talks about her involvement in open housing during her high school years, the experiences of attending rallies in the city, her involvement in SCLC, the NAACP, and the Youth NAACP. She also discusses the riot that occurred in Louisville when Stokley Carmichael was coming to town as well as her memories of the Black Six trial, briefly. Following law school, she returned to Louisville and worked for the city on labor type issues. In this part of her interview, Hamilton discusses her work on the city's first affirmative action plan, her work in the NAACP as the political action chari, and her work with Martha Layne Collins and the KY Commision on Women. She continued to work for the city and be involved in various ways including serving on the Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee and the Metro Louisville Women's Political Caucus.

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.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Sterling Neal Jr., born and raised in Louisville, provides not only his experience during the Civil Rights Movement, but his family history prior to his birth. Beginning with a detailed history of his family, he then moves into his life as a student in Louisville. Topics include: his father's involvement in the labor unions, his time at Kentucky State for college, involvement in CORE with his sister Beverly and his experience in CORE and picketing with them, his involvement beginning in 1966 while he was at the Kent School of Social Work, involvement in the Kent School Student Association including being involved in anti-war, free speach, women's rights, welfare rights, etc., the Yearlings Club and the organization called Our Black Thing, the Black Student Union at the University of Louisville, the riot that happened when Stokley Carmichael came to Louisville, the Black Power ideology and movement, Enterprises Unlimited and their program the Stop Dope Now in the late 1960s, in 1969 the establishment of Masters of Reality, a youth center on Twenty-Eighth and Greenwood. He then talks about his work as a PhD student at the University of Michigan in social work and sociology and then he became the director of Enterprises Unlimited and then became the adjunct lecturer at Kent School. He then quit his program and went up to Indiana University and obtained a law degree and came back to Louisville to practice law. He then goes into more detail about the groups such as Our Black Thing, Black United Brothers, and BULK, including the make up of these organizations, their activism, and ways in which they tried to influence the community.

Howard Owens, born in 1948 in Pambloff, Arkansas, moved to Louisville because of his father's work as a preacher at the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church at age 5. In this interview, Owens talks about his father's work as a civil rights activist in the city prior to his own work during the 1960s following his graduation from high school as well as his work and activism during the Civil Rights Movement from the end of the 1960s up until the 1980s. Topics include: the nationalist fringe groups participating in Louisville during the Civil Rights Movement, his activism during college in Wilberforce, Ohio, his work as a teacher in Louisville with children with learning disabilities, the groups during the 1970s in Louisville including the Black Workers Coalition and Black Protective Parents, busing and the problems that faced busing within the communities and the city, other groups such as the Jtown Challengers and the Blacks United to Motivate Progress, his experience at a Klan rally that took place off of Preston Hwy, issues that arose after busing including police brutality and equity in hiring of minorities, the Alliance Against Racism and Political Oppression, the Fred Harris case, the Lindsay Scott case, and a case involving the Black Panther Party that all took place in Louisville.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Nancy Pollock, born in Springfield, Kentucky, moved to the city of Louisville at the age of 2 and began to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement at the age of 14. She talks about her first experience with racism and segregation when she was 9 years old and the owner of an ice cream parlor physically threw her out of his shop while she was eating an ice cream cone. Following that she began to get involved at age 14 with the demonstrations happening in Louisville, as the youngest person there oftentimes. Pollock discusses her entire time in the movement, her various involvements in different groups, violence that she experienced and saw, her experiences in Louisville and outside of Louisville in Atlanta, Chicago, and CIncinnnati, Ohio, and her involvement in the 1970s with the Black Panter Party. Topics include: her relationship with Anne Braden, Stokley Carmichael, John Lewis, and various other figures, demonstrations (those that she led and those that she participated in) during the accommodations campaigns, the makeup of those within the accommodation demonstrations, involvement with Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and CORE, the time that she was arrested for leading a demonstration at Hasenour's, the hunger strike that she participated in in Frankfort, the 1986 riot that happened in Louisville and her understanding of what happened and why, her involvement in the Black Panther Party in Louisville, Chicago, and Cincinnati, the differences between the west coast and east coast Black Panther Party chapters, the changes in the movement and within the various organizations over time, her work after she left the Black Panther Party in 1974, the changes in Louisville over the years that she was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and her thoughts on who the leaders of the movement were in Louisville.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Suzanne "Suzy" Post, born in Louisville in 1933, was a mother of five living in the East End of Louisville when she began to be involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Louisville.Post became active at a young age, choosing to do a project on the Louisville Urban League when in school and then joining the NAACP at Indiana University. In 1957, she joined the ACLU and then in 1969 became President of the Louisville ACLU before moving on to become a national Vice President for 12 years. She discusses in this interview her first memory of walking in a picketline, her time as a Jesse Jackson delegate in 1984, and her experience as a white woman in the movement. She discusses her involvement in fundraising for the Open Housing demonstrations as well as helping to find school board candidates for JCPS who were sympathetic to busing and getting them elected and educated. Post's involvement in the busing movement in Louisville was one that she discussed in length. In 1970 she worked as the President of an affiliate that worked to talk with communities and people within the community on the busing plans that they wanted to be implemented. Post discusses the first day that busing began as well as the atmosphere in the city and provides information on how she stayed active once busing had begun within Louisville.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Runette Robinson, a participant in the Louisville sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement, discusses her experiences and the impact of the movement on her life. Born in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, Robinson moved to Louisville at a young age due to her sister's medical needs. She recalls her involvement in the sit-ins, the training in peaceful resistance, and the impact of the demonstrations on her and the community. Robinson also discusses her education and career as a teacher, emphasizing the importance of giving back to her community. She believes the sit-ins taught her patience, tolerance, and determination, and instilled in her a strong sense of racial pride. This interview is restricted please contact the archives for more information.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Schempp discusses his involvement in the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program during the Vietnam War. He was assigned to Louisville, Kentucky, where he became involved in the civil rights movement and open housing marches. He also started a theater group called the West Side Players, which was made up of high school students and focused on performing black historical plays and social dramas. The group toured extensively, performing at colleges and community events. The speaker reflects on the impact of the group and the importance of open dialogue in addressing social and racial issues. The group disbanded around 1980 due to funding cuts.

Ben Shobe was born in 1920 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He grew up in a rural mountain town called Middlesboro. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1941 from Kentucky State College (now Kentucky State University), a historically black school in Frankfort. During his time at K State, he witnessed the Ku Klux Klan marching through downtown Frankfort and then proceed to burn crosses in view of the campus. After graduating, Shobe attended law school at the University of Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with his law degree in 1946 and returned to Louisville, Kentucky to practice as a trial attorney. He initially joined the practice of his friend, Charles W. Anderson, Jr., who was the first ever black legislature voted to serve in the South. He served as a trial lawyer for many years before being elected as the Judge of the Louisville police court in 1973. In the interview, Shobe mentions some of the cases and issues he worked on during his career. Louisville was an incredibly segregated city during the start of his career and he immediately joined the NAACP and went to work helping to desegregate parts of the city. One such case was the desegregation of the Louisville city parks. He took the case to the U.S. Circuit Court in Cincinnati, Ohio and successful argued that the parks were in fact not “separate but equal” due to the disparity in resources available at the white parks, compared to those available at the single black park in the city. He also recounts various interactions with members of the NAACP, such as Thurgood Marshall and Roy Wilkins, who came to the local Louisville chapter from time to time to go over legal advice and strategy for the segregation cases. Shobe was also involved in various levels on the issues of desegregation at the University of Louisville, the Louisville Bar Association, and the Jefferson County Medical Society.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights Movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Sandra Wainwright, born in 1937, was born and raised in Louisville and remained here her entire life. She was a student at Central High School before school integration since it was the only school she was allowed to attend as a Black teenager. She went to the University of Louisville and performed in the music school at Central High School, where she met Jackie Robinson and Eleanor Roosevelt. Following schooling she was supposed to become a music teacher, however, no positions were available so she became an elementary school teacher instead. She worked at various schools in the city and retired from teaching in 1996. Topics covered in her interview include: her involvement in the late 1950s with boycotts and protests, the NAACP, her memories of racism within the city at restaurants and stores, her memories of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., her experiences as a teacher at a Black elementary school, her memories of teaching at a white school following busing for teachers, her involvement peripherally when her sister was involved in the movement in the city, her memories of the open housing movement and the impact that open housing had on her and her family.

Art Walters, born in 1918 in Magnolia, Kentucky, moved to Louisville following his time in the Army. He was drafted into the army while attending Kentucky State College, an all Black school, in his junior year. He served in the Army Corps of Engineers and was first stationed at Fort Bellview, Virginia. He was commissioned to Second Lieutenant and served the rest of his twenty years in the service as a commissioned officer and served in the Second World War and during the Korean War. Following his retirement from the army, he was approached by the Urban League where they hired him as the Industrial Relations Secretary, later changed to the Director of Economic Development and Employment, and Director of Education and Youth Incentive. He worked with the Urban League from 1963 until he retired. Topics covered in the interview include: his time in the army, his hiring with the Urban League, the projects and programs that he worked on in both roles including the On The Job Training Program and the Labor Education Advancement program, the cooperation and work between the Urban League and other groups within Louisville, the role that the Urban League played in busing, the anti-busing demonstrations that took place, the change in the Urban League over the years, the general philosophy and make up of the Urban League, their approach to securing opportunity, strengths and weaknesses, and his involvement outside of the Urban League during his time in Louisville.

Hal Warheim, born in 1931 in Hanover, Pennsylvania, moved to Louisville during the Civil Rights Movement to work at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary as the chair of Christianity and Society. Prior to that, Warheim had been living in New York, Providence, Rhode Island, and many other places as he got his education in religion and sociology. Upon arriving in Louisville, he became involved in the open accommodations movement on the periphery, as it had mostly finished by the time he was here, but continued to stay involved with open housing in the city. The location of the seminary allowed him the opportunity to attend meetings of the NAACP or the Urban League downtown before it moved out to Cherokee Park. He served on the board of the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union as their Minority Relations Chair. He began to get involved with the marches and demonstrations that took place downtown, where he'd either be leading them or walking with them depending on the night. While he was working at the seminary, he was able to start a hunger task force as well as teach, which he did until he retired in 1994. Topics in the interview include: growing up in Hanover, his time in Europe, his education from high school to a law degree, his move to Louisville, his understandings of race relations in Louisville when he moved here, discussion of the KCLU and the board including strategy meetings, the open housing marches and demonstrations, his memories of people such as A.D. King, Anne Braden, and Hosea Williams among others, the influence that him being white had on his participation and the reaction it garnered, his students reaction at seminary to the activism that he did, and his involvements outside of the open housing movement.

Civil Rights movement in Louisville

Civil Rights Movement in Louisville