Africa

Interview regarding the history of Louisville's LGBTQ movement with Mandy Carter, a North Carolina activist, long among leading southern LGBT rights leaders of color; consultant to development of Fairness; co-founder of Southerners On New Ground; spent fall 2004 in Kentucky working on No-on-the-Amendment drive.

Marilee Jones Casey is the daughter of William Jones, the first Black licensed electrician in Kentucky. She discusses her family history, her father's work and her own life.

Mr. Clay discusses growing up in segregated Louisville and the influence his mother, a teacher, and his father, who held several jobs, had on his life. He discusses the heyday of the black business district on Walnut Street and the activities he would engage in there as a child. Mr. Clay then discusses his education in Ohio and Louisville, where he attended Bellarmine College. He explains his involvement with the Poverty Project and other community based improvement programs in Louisville. Mr. Clay describes the shop he opened in 1967 called The Corner of Jazz which became an important local center for African American gatherings and discussions. He discusses the events leading up to the civil disturbance on May 29th 1968 and his personal experiences during that event. Summary available.

Ken Clay talks about his experience growing up in Louisville. He performed in choirs as a high school student at Central High School and studied at Bellarmine, eventually working for the Kentucky Center for the Arts as a producer for many years. He discusses his experience creating programs for African American youth in Louisville and the positive impact these programs had. He founded the Renaissance Development Corporation in the mid-1970s. Clay also discusses the significance of Walnut Street as a cultural hub in the West End of Louisville and the negative impact of urban renewal on Black businesses. He talks about the store he ran for several years called the Corner of Jazz which operated not only as a store but as a cultural and intellectual space for conversation related to the national Black movement. Clay witnessed a large riot near his store during which a police car drove into a crowd gathered on Walnut Street.

Lattimore Cole discusses his early education in Louisville, working for his father's newspaper the Louisville Leader and describes what it was like to be the child of a prominent figure in the community. He describes his father physically and temperamentally and reflects on attendance at the Louisville Municipal College and urban renewal.

From his childhood until its closing in 1951, Lattimore Cole, a Louisville native, worked intermittently at the “Louisville Leader,” an African-American weekly, founded in 1917 by his father, I. Willis Cole. Mr. Cole served in World War II, attended Louisville Municipal College, and retired from the U. S. Postal Service. Much of the interview involves comments and identifications provided by Lattimore Cole when shown family photographs and items from the “Louisville Leader” newspaper/printing company. Publishing company operations and staff are recounted. Mr. Cole also comments on his father’s friendships with national African-American business and political leaders as well as local figures like newspaper rival William Warley. I. Willis Cole’s personality and business instincts are discussed along with descriptions of Louisville’s segregated Old Walnut Business District. The interview concludes with Lattimore’s discussion of his siblings and their home-life together. NOTE: The recorder was inadvertently not started until about thirty minutes into the interview. When taping commenced the interviewer incorrectly stated the date as “October 19, 2013.” The error was corrected at the conclusion of the interview. Mr. Cole’s daughter, Nora, is heard commenting in the background. Earlier interviews conducted on November 26, 1977 and June 23, 2004 (video) are also available.

Mr. Coleman is a employee of the Louisville Urban League. This interview concerns his involvement with the Urban League and the Louisville Civil Rights movement.

Interview index available

George Cordery was Director of Consumer Service with the US Post Office in Louisville. The interview contains three main subjects: his career in the Post Office; his career in the Army Reserve; and his civilian life, including his term as president of the local chapter of the NAACP. He also discusses his involvement in originating a mortgage-lending institution for Blacks in Louisville.

Coxe and Hamilton are local Black artists and their opinions on Black history in Louisville are discussed as well as their personal histories. The difficulties of training and establishing oneself as an artist are stated. The Louisville Art Work Shop and its importance to young artists is mentioned.