Interview with Lyman T. Johnson, June 7, 1979

Interview Summary

Johnson discusses his participation in civil rights activities in Louisville, Kentucky. He shares his opposition to the re-establishment of a YMCA meant for African Americans as it was meant to keep them from entering the main branch of the YMCA. As a young activist, few took him seriously, but William Warley from the Buchanan v. Warley court case encouraged others to listen to Johnson. Johnson explains differences in African American culture in the North and South, emphasizing the education options available to African Americans. He also recalls being elected as president of the Louisville Association of Teachers in Colored Schools and ending the wage differential between black and white teachers in Louisville, Kentucky.

Interview Keyword

Civil rights activists Louisville Association of Teachers in Colored Schools Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) African American community African American higher education Day Law The Lincoln Institute

Interview LC Subject

African American teachers Wage differentials Civil rights workers Segregation in education--Law and legislation Racism Discrimination Pay equity National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.