Kentucky's Day Law, "An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School" became law in 1904. By the 1930's African-Americans began to increase pressure on Kentucky public universities to desegregate.
The debate involved UK administrators, governors, and citizens. The first response to the demand for access and equal treatment usually cited the Day Law arguing that it could not be changed. The second response was usually "southern culture" was not ready for such a change.
White leaders continued to offer inadequate solutions such as paying the tuition for Kentucky's African-Americans to attend out-of-state universities. They also called for the establishment of regional institutions in the south for African-Americans that could offer programs like engineering and law that were not offered at Kentucky's historically black Kentucky State University.
Governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler would later take credit for the desegregation of Major League Baseball, but in his first term as Governor he failed to provide leadership on the issue when desperately needed for his state. Likewise, Dean of UK Law Alvin Evans also failed to lead and even displayed a lack of commitment to equality under the law while demonstrating incredible insensitivity to his fellow Kentucky citizens.
Lyman Johnson won a legal battle to enroll at UK as a history graduate student in 1949. The undergraduate program at UK desegregated in 1954 following the Brown decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Fortunately, we have overcome many of these earlier obstacles. But as Black History Month has come to a close, let's remember that challenges remain and that it is the responsibility of each generation to eradicate discrimination and inequality in all aspects of American life.
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| Kentucky Kernel, March 14, 1939 |
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