Africa

Mrs. Crowell was a former librarian at the Western Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library. She describes the apprentice program for librarians and her years at the library.

Interview index available

Mr. Davis is a local president of the International Aluminum Worker's Union and worked for many years at the Reynolds Aluminum plant in the Parkland area. He discusses the development of Reynolds Aluminum Company in the Parkland area. Mr. Davis joined the union and worked to secure workers’ rights. Gives history of the company and its role in the area and discusses the positive and mutual relationship of the company with the neighborhood.

Veterans History Project

Delquan Dorsey talks about his childhood and teen years in Sheppard Square housing. Dorsey connects his career in community organizing to his childhood experiences. He recalls an abundance of playmates and play activities. Dorsey shares a strong appreciation for the history of Smoketown and a pride in his family's roots there. He recalls feeling safe despite criminal activity in the neighborhood and a short-lived episode in which he was recruited to sell drugs. He talks about benefits and detriments of living in a compact and isolated neighborhood. He specifically credits his mother, mentors at Bates Memorial Baptist Church and at the Presbyterian Community Center with instilling in him a belief in his potential.

Artist and professor Bob Douglas discusses his experience as a young artist and then as a participant in the Louisville arts scene during the Black Arts movement. He discusses his experiences with racism in the workplace and his efforts to find a position. He studied at the University of Louisville, eventually attending graduate school and teaching courses in African American Art. He was one of the founders of a gallery enterprise in Louisville and was a major player in the Louisville Art Workshop. He also worked on urban renewal, improving the property rights of black people in Louisville. Douglass reflects on the impact of the Black Arts movement and the art movements he was involved in on progress for the Black community as a whole.

Mr. Ealy, who came to Louisville in 1918, discusses his recollections of politics, journalism and race relations in the city from 1910s to 1970s. Specifically, this interview contains information on the African American journalists I. Willis Cole (Louisville Leader), William Warley (Louisville News), and Frank Stanley, Sr. (Louisville Defender); machine politics in the city; his recollections of life in the African American community in Louisville; and his philosophy of race relations. He also describes his early life and education.

This is the second of two interviews conducted with Mr. Ealy in 1977. Mr. Ealy, who came to Louisville in 1918, discusses his recollections of politics, journalism and race relations in the city from 1910s to 1970s. Specifically, this interview contains information on the African American journalists I. Willis Cole (Louisville Leader), William Warley (Louisville News), and Frank Stanley, Sr. (Louisville Defender); machine politics in the city; his recollections of life in the African American community in Louisville; and his philosophy of race relations. He also describes his early life and education.

Henry Ebbs is a 75-year-old Black man, and was a resident of the Parkland area during the 1940s and 1950s. He discusses his life in Louisville as well as the Parkland area during the 1940s. As an early resident of the neighborhood he discusses the mixed racial area and peaceful atmosphere. Recreational activities centered around the churches and related religious groups. Left the area for better living conveniences. Enjoyed Chickasaw Park and other amenities. Discusses the racial segregation of the city during the time and inequality some members of his family received.

The narrative traces Mr. Edward's moves from Moorhead, Mississippi, to Chicago, Illinois, and later to Louisville, Kentucky. During these years Mr. Edwards attended innovative programs in Chicago and graduated from Shawnee High School. After attending Western Kentucky University and Bowling Green Business College, Mr. Edwards was successful in obtaining an Office of Minority Business Enterprise (O.M.B.E.) loan for the Pressley and Edwards Machine and Welding Company. A large portion of the interviewer traces the persistent efforts of Edwards and others to make the company a success. Mr. Edwards is a member of a large extended family presently living in Louisville.