 50
Years of the UK African-American Legacy
Dr. Lauretta Byars
University of Kentucky
Vice Chancellor for Minority Affairs
(A presentation to Second Presbyterian Forum, 11/14/99)
Fifty years ago, the University of Kentucky started down the road to
cultural and racial diversity. Law graduate student Lyman T. Johnson had
just won a lawsuit against the state of Kentucky to erase the commonwealth's
segregation laws, ones which prevented UK and other institutions from offering
higher education to African Americans. That summer, Johnson and about 30
fellow African-American classmates enrolled at UK.
In 1999, the University celebrated that milestone in history with the
Commemoration of Fifty
Years of African Americans at UK. The celebration featured special
guest speakers, art projects, plays, banquets, displays, a video and more.
Dr. Byars, who led the University committee organizing the commemoration,
reviewed the legacy for the Forum class. She added many observations based
on her personal experiences as an African-American growing up in Lexington's
public schools and in the University.
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