Jefferson County Sunday School Association facts for kids

The Jefferson County Sunday School Association was an important church group started in 1925 in Louisville, Kentucky. It played a big part in the local Civil Rights Movement, working to end unfair treatment and create more job chances for African-Americans.

How It Started

The Jefferson County Sunday School Association (JCSSA) first began as a group focused on religious education. But in the 1930s, it started to focus on helping African-Americans get fair jobs. This change happened after a phone company in Louisville refused to hire African-Americans. Frank Stanley Sr., who ran the Louisville Defender newspaper, told people to pay their phone bills using only pennies to protest.

After this, the JCSSA worked to get the Louisville Transit Company to hire Black bus drivers. The JCSSA also held big meetings with different African-American church groups. They even teamed up with other organizations like Operation Breadbasket to help African-Americans.

In 1939, a health group within the JCSSA tried to create training places for African-American nurses and doctors. This was to help improve health in the community. However, this plan stopped because of disagreements among the leaders.

During the Civil Rights Movement after World War II, many groups in Louisville worked together. The JCSSA was one of these groups. It was known for having strong leaders who encouraged people to join protests and work for change.

Reverend Daniel J. Hughlett

Reverend Daniel J. Hughlett was a very important leader of the JCSSA. In 1930, he became the leader of the A.M.E. Zion Church at 22nd and Chestnut streets in Louisville. Rev. Hughlett helped change the JCSSA to focus on improving race relations.

For 30 years, while Rev. Hughlett was the pastor, the church became a symbol of hope. Youth programs grew, and the church helped meet the economic, spiritual, and physical needs of the community around it.

Under Rev. Hughlett, the church also started a "Well Baby Clinic" and a Credit Union. These programs helped the church grow in size and in the number of people who attended. A new basement area was added for religious and educational activities. It was also used for meetings and special events by many community groups.

Louisville Black Churches and Civil Rights

Many churches, including the A.M.E. Zion Church, advertised their services in the Louisville Leader newspaper. Pastors would also write articles about their church events. Churches often held meetings or conventions together, especially for pastors and their wives. These women were often the backbone of church activities, planning many events.

Conventions at different churches were places to share new ideas. They helped improve church programs and serve the community better. Church activities and programs helped bring the Black community together. Churches also taught people to read and write and were important for social change. Members would not only worship together but also gather for protests.

For example, in 1942, Rev. Hughlett led a conference at the A.M.E. Zion Church. He explained new religious education ideas and gave suggestions for how church programs could help people more. Rev. Hughlett also took part in a debate at Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church.

Women's Roles

Most church members and Sunday school attendees were women. However, men often held the main leadership roles in the church. Even so, women were very active in the JCSSA. They often worked on projects to improve the church and the community.

Pastors' wives sometimes formed their own groups to plan church events. Many African-American women also taught Sunday school. They often taught both adults and children how to read and write, along with Bible lessons. Sunday schools were very important for increasing literacy in the Black community.

Women in the church also raised money to support many African-American businesses, newspapers, and schools. Even though there weren't many official roles for women in the church, the positions they did have helped them gain important organizing and speaking skills. These skills were useful in forming other groups, like the NAACP. Women often used churches as a starting point for their activism because of the strong networks and support from their church families. Older, active women in the church were often seen as "community mothers." They cared for people in the African-American community and other church members. These women were symbols of strength, even though they were still under the authority of the men in higher church positions.

See also

• African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
• Civil Rights Movement
• History of Louisville, Kentucky
• NAACP in Kentucky