ALBERT E. MEYZEEK (1862-1963)

Civil rights activist and youth educator, Albert E. Meyzeek was an educational reformer during his time in Louisville. He advocated for African American libraries and equal opportunities for students in Kentucky. The Albert E. Meyzeek Middle School in Louisville is also named in his honor. Meyzeek served as the President of State Industrial College (now Kentucky State University,) and the principal of both Booker T. Washington elementary school and Central High School. Outside of his passion for educational justice, Meyzeek also spearheaded desegregation efforts in hospitals and housing, leading to the creation of Louisville’s Urban League, which focuses on eliminating discrimination. Meyzeek’s legacy left lasting impacts on black youth in Louisville and improved education opportunities for many students. 

MONETA SLEET JR. (1926-1996)

Moneta Sleet Jr. was a local photographer and journalist who contributed to national history. Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, Sleet received a master’s degree in journalism from NYU, while still avidly studying photography in the big city. He also served in an African American unit during World War II. Sleet is most famous for his Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of Coretta Scott King. The photo takes place at civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. Sleet also wrote for Ebony magazine for a total of 41 years, beginning in 1955. He passed away at age 70 due to cancer 

GEORGIA DAVIS POWERS (1923-2016)

Georgia Davis Powers served as a state senator in the Kentucky Senate for 21 years. Powers was born in Springfield, Kentucky and moved to Louisville as a teenager due to a natural disaster in her town. She received honorary doctorates from both the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. When she was elected to the senate in 1967, she became the first person of color and the first woman to do so. She served on the senate from January 1968 to January 1989 and helped work to pass many bills that ended employment discrimination based on sex and age.

WILLA BROWN (1906-1992)

Born in Glasgow, Kentucky, Willa Brown was the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license in the United States. Furthermore, she was also the first African American woman to run for the US Congress and the first African American officer in the Civil Air Patrol. She co-founded Coffey School of Aeronautics, where dozens of pilots were trained under her expertise. Her achievements set the stage for many black women looking to pursue a career in aviation or government. 

GRACE MARILYNN JAMES (1923-1989)

Although Grace Marilynn James was born in Charleston, West Virginia, she was the first African American physician at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Moreso, she was one of the first African American women at any hospital in the South. She was also the first African American woman to become a physician at Louisville’s Kosair Children’s Hospital. James broke the stigma preventing African American women from attending medical school and working in hospitals in the deep South.