LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Monday evening the Louisville Branch NAACP recognized 60 years since Louisville ended segregation.
On May 14, 1963, the Louisville Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance de-segregating Louisville. The NAACP observed the 60th Anniversary Monday.
At age 13 in 1961, Charlene Holloway started protesting the injustice.
"It makes me look back and very happy that a group of teenagers marched and protested in a non violent and very peaceful way," Holloway said.
Two years later, in 1963, Louisville became integrated.
"This history makes me think how proud of all the teenagers who were raised both races to help get Louisville integrate," Holloway said. "We weren't old enough to vote. But, we got the attention of voters who voted in a mayor, who signed the Public Accommodations Law of Integration May 63', making Louisville the first city in the south to have the Public Accommodations of Integration; so we could try on clothes, we could go roll into the movie theaters up and down Fourth Street, into the restaurants and be treated as first class citizens, people of color, that made me happy! Both my parents and grandparents were living," Holloway said.
The Louisville branch of the NAACP held a celebration on Monday, May 15, 2023.
NAACP president Raoul Cunningham also protested with Holloway. He turned 20 the day before Louisville made history.
"It was my birthday present," Cunningham said.
Nearly 30 people attended Monday's celebration.
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