Interview with Albert B. Lee, June 6, 1978

Interview Summary

Pastor of the Greater Liberty Baptist Church, Reverend Lee is also the father of former University of Kentucky basketball player James Lee who played under Coach Joe B. Hall. He came to Greater Liberty Baptist Church in 1945. Reverend Lee discusses the role of the church in the African American community and the effects of segregation in Lexington. He recalls the civil rights movement including marches and sit-ins, and talks about the lack of African American influence in Lexington. The discrimination faced by his son and other African Americans at the University of Kentucky are detailed, as are the integration of the University and current problems still in evidence within the community. The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King's leadership, relationships within the African American community, and the reasons for the failure of African American businesses are also mentioned.

Interview Keyword

African Americans in Lexington University of Kentucky African American churches Dunbar High School James Lee African Americans--Employment. African Americans--Education. Lexington, Kentucky Martin Luther King, Jr. Race relations

Interview LC Subject

Civil rights demonstrations African Americans--Civil rights--Kentucky Civil rights movements--United States African Americans--Social conditions. African Americans--Race identity. African Americans--Religion African Americans. Lee, Albert B. Lee, Albert B.--Interviews African American business enterprises African American leadership

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 be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.