Lexington-Fayette Urban County
Human Rights Commission
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October
30, 2003
The
dedicated people responsible for starting forty years of civil rights work in
the Lexington community will be honored during the 40th
Anniversary Reception of Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission on Thursday,
November 6, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the ballroom of the Government
Center at 200 E. Main St.
Recognition
of those who played an integral role in forming one of the first local civil
rights enforcement agencies in the South will take place at 6:00 p.m.
The
Board of City Commissioners passed the resolution creating the Lexington
Commission on Human Rights on June 20, 1963. This bold and pro-active step, for
a city that so identifies itself with its Southern roots, was in stark contrast
to the actions in other states at that time. It was on June 11, 2023 that Governor
George Wallace of Alabama stood in the door of the University of Alabama, as a
symbolic attempt to prevent the integration of the university by black students.
This was one of the most famous acts of segregationist defiance and this image
has made an indelible mark in our nation’s conscience.
In
comparison, with little fanfare many Lexington community members expressed their
concerns and the need for community action to improve human relations and
establish bridges of communication among the several racial, ethnic and
religious groups in Lexington. This movement developed into the
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission and the work continues
today as the Commission continues education, outreach and enforcement of
anti-discrimination laws.
Information on the history of
the Commission and current initiatives will be available at the reception.
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