NAACP in Kentucky facts for kids

The NAACP in Kentucky is a very active group that works for fairness and equal rights for everyone. It has many local offices, called branches, all over the state. The biggest branches are in Louisville and Lexington. The Kentucky NAACP continues to fight against unfairness and for equality for all people today.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) started in 1909. It was a civil rights group for African Americans during a time when segregation was common and very unfair in the United States. The NAACP grew across the country to make sure all people had equal rights, no matter their race or background. Its goal is "to fight for social justice for all Americans."

NAACP branches are set up in different states and work together for equality. There are also many branches within each state. In Kentucky, there are more than 55 branches located all over the state.

History of the NAACP in Kentucky

People from Kentucky played an important part in the NAACP's history. William English Walling (1877–1936) was from Louisville, Kentucky. He was interested in making things better for workers and supported women's rights. After a serious event called the Springfield Race Riot of 1908 in Illinois, he worked with Mary White Ovington and Henry Moskowitz to create the NAACP.

The Kentucky NAACP became well-known across the country as early as 1940. This was because of its work in Louisville, Kentucky. The NAACP had already helped with several court cases to protest unfair pay for African American teachers.

Fighting for Equal Pay for Teachers

Vallateen Virginia Dudley Abbington (1907–2003) was a school teacher in Louisville. She was one of many teachers who asked for equal pay. At that time, Black teachers were paid less than white teachers. Mrs. Abbington became part of an NAACP lawsuit. The famous lawyer Thurgood Marshall argued her case.

This lawsuit helped remove a 15 percent pay difference between Black and white teachers in Louisville public schools. The case, called Abbington v. Board of Education of Louisville (KY), was filed on December 5, 1940. The School Board agreed to equal pay if Mrs. Abbington dropped the lawsuit. She did, and teachers' salaries in Louisville no longer depended on their race.

Fighting Other Unfair Rules

The Kentucky NAACP also fought against other types of unfair treatment. This happened during the civil rights movement and even after it. For example, in a case called Eilers v. Eilers, attorney James Crumlin Sr. from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund helped a woman named Anna. She wanted to get custody of her five children from her ex-husband, George Eilers.

In 1964, Mr. Eilers had won custody of their children. This happened after Anna married Marshall C. Anderson, an African American man. At that time, marriages between people of different races were not allowed in Kentucky. The NAACP helped Anna fight for her children.

Another important role for the NAACP in Kentucky was in the 1970s. The Louisville NAACP and the Kentucky Civil Liberties Union worked together. They fought to end segregation in the Jefferson County Public Schools. This helped make schools fair for all students.

Women in the Kentucky NAACP

Women played very important leadership roles in the NAACP branches across Kentucky. Osceola A. Dawson was the secretary for the Kentucky NAACP. Audrey Grevious was the president of the Lexington Chapter.

Other amazing accomplishments by women in the NAACP include Alberta Jones. She was the first woman prosecutor in Kentucky in 1964. She was also the first African American woman to pass the Kentucky Bar exam in 1959. With help from Julia Etta Lewis, Audrey Grevious worked with the Lexington Congress of Racial Equality. They joined forces to increase their efforts for equality.

Here are some other notable African American women in Kentucky's NAACP history:

• Olive Burroughs (1951–2003), the first African-American woman elected to the Owensboro, Kentucky City Commission.
• Rev. Rhondalyn Randolph, President of NAACP Owensboro Branch 3107 from 2014 to today. She was the first woman pastor of Pleasant Point Missionary Baptist Church. She was also the first African-American woman to pastor a Baptist church in western Kentucky.
• Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beatrice Cooke Fouse (1875–1952), who was a main contact for the national NAACP from Lexington, Kentucky.
• Rebecca Craft (1887–1945), a schoolteacher from Versailles, Kentucky. She started the San Diego Women's Civic Organization and was president of the local NAACP branch there.
• Daisy Jones, who escaped from slavery in Kentucky to live in Canada. She trained to be a nurse. When she moved to Denver, Colorado in 1904, she helped start the NAACP branch there.
• Jennie B. Liggin (1904–1977), who started the first AME Girl Scout troop in Kentucky. In 1938, she and her husband, Reverend Clyde Absalom Liggin, led a successful effort to get more members for the Louisville Branch of the NAACP.
• Frances Harriet Williams (1899–1992), born in Danville, Kentucky. She was active in the YWCA and the NAACP.
• Ann Wagner

Women in the Kentucky NAACP branches also received several important awards. These include the NAACP Magistrate Daniel Massie award for outstanding involvement. They also received the NAACP Herman E. Floyd Award and other community awards for their hard work. Women in the NAACP also helped organize fundraisers and other events. These events helped pay for their causes and their fight for justice.

Local branches

For more information on each of the branches below, see the national NAACP website.

See also

• Audrey Grevious
• Loving v. Virginia
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Jefferson County Sunday School Association