The Human Rights Commission of Hopkinsville-Christian County is seeking nominations for the Hal and Bettye Thurmond award, which goes each year to a person making a difference in the community through a dedication to human relations.
The award will be presented at the Mayor’s Unity Breakfast, Oct. 24 at the James E. Bruce Convention Center.
The award is named for the couple who worked to integrate housing, lunch counters and public schools while advancing race relations in Hopkinsville and Christian County in the 1950s and ’60s.
The Thurmonds were among the earliest white residents of Hopkinsville dedicated to improving life for local black families. They were at times harassed and threatened for their beliefs and advocacy work. Hal Thurmond owned Blue Lake Block Co. and was president of the local Chamber of Commerce. Bettye Thurmond was an executive director for the local Human Relations Commission.
The couple were posthumous inductees to the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2007.
Nominations for the Hal and Bettye Thurmond Award must be submitted to the Human Rights Commission by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, to the local office at 715 S. Virginia St., Hopkinsville, KY 42240.
The nomination should include the name, address and phone of the nominee, a statement of the person’s accomplishments and a brief bio. The person making the nomination should include his or her name and contact information.
Email submissions should be sent to Raychel Bailey at raychel.bailey@hopkinsvilleky.us.
A Volunteer of the Year will also be recognized at the Mayor’s Unity Breakfast. The submission process and deadline are the same as for the Thurmond award.
Tickets for the breakfast are $15 in advance (by Oct. 17) or $20 at the door. A table for 10 may be reserved for $150.
The guest speaker will be Raoul Cunningham, state president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
To purchase tickets, contact Bailey in the local office at 270-887-4010.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
