Director's Take

White Allies

01-24-2023

Dear friend of Downtown,

This Director’s Take is dedicated to my grandmother, Betty Jane Spritz Fleischaker. Although she died a little over 6 years ago, I got to see her face and an amazing write-up last week in a new exhibit at Roots 101 African American Museum called White Allies of Civil Rights.

Curated by Louisville historian Tom Owen and Roots 101 owner and founder Lamont Collins, this exhibit describes the efforts of 39 white Louisvillians who made a difference in the Civil Rights movement, particularly during the 1960s. At least once a year, always at Passover (the Jewish holiday which celebrates Moses leading the enslaved Jews out of ancient Egypt) and other times too, my grandmother would tell her large family our responsibility to stand up for others and the rights we all should be able to freely have. Three generations later, in 2020, protests for social justice erupted again and we are being called on for activism, caring, and spreading love. I feel an overwhelming sense of pride for her and her legacy and it now has me wondering what I can be doing more of as an ally.

As we head into February, which is Black History Month and appropriately also the month of love, I will redouble my efforts at being a better ally. Being like my grandmother, who stood up and spoke out. And knowing that when any of us have suffered, as a community, we all suffer.

Downtown is a place that is welcome to all, the one neighborhood where there is something for everyone. We should never forget, which means we can never stop learning… and there are opportunities abound during Black History Month in Downtown!

Check out special programming with LifeTagger, Frazier History Museum, Louisville Free Public Library|Main Branch, Roots 101: The African American Museum, Muhammad Ali Center, and Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Hope to see you there!