It took decades for local civil rights attorney Louis P. McHenry, who led efforts to establish the city’s Human Rights Commission in 1963, to gain recognition from a wide representation of Hopkinsville people. McHenry died in April 1967 — and it wasn’t until the 60th anniversary celebration for the commission in July 2023 that his fight for racial equity and desegregation came to light again in Hopkinsville.
Now his legacy has been elevated — this time to a state audience. McHenry was one of five individuals inducted Friday into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
“I’m glad that he is finally getting recognition. It feels good,” his daughter Gail McHenry Walters told Hoptown Chronicle after the induction ceremony. She and her siblings, Louis P. McHenry Jr. and Linda McHenry, returned to Hopkinsville for the ceremony. In all, about 10 relatives attended the ceremony at the James E. Bruce Convention Center. They included four great-grandchildren of the honoree.
The Kentucky Human Rights Commission brought the Hall of Fame ceremony to Hopkinsville and provided this biographical sketch of McHenry in a printed program:
A Hopkinsville attorney who fought segregation in public accommodations, Mr. McHenry organized a group known as the Progressive Citizens. The Progressive Citizens organized boycotts of Christian County businesses that would not allow Blacks to eat at the lunch counters and that would not hire Blacks. On June 18, 1963, an ordinance was presented by Mr. McHenry to the City Council to establish a local Human Rights Commission and was enacted on July 16, 1963. One of McHenry’s greatest contributions was his dedication to voter registration and education in the late 1950s and 1960s. Mr. McHenry was the first Black candidate to run for national office in Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District.
“In light of today, it is even more compelling that we continue the fight. It is not over. In fact, in many ways we have regressed,” said Walters.
“It’s the whole idea of voter registration and people being aware of what’s happening and being educated on what you are voting for and about — and the importance of local elections. Oftentimes we just focus on presidential elections. But those local elections, all of them are very important. … The most distressing thing for me is to hear people say, ‘Well, my vote doesn’t count.’”
Growing up in Hopkinsville, the three McHenry children were always aware of elections and current events. Each of them had a role in desegregating local public schools.
“That was the focal point of our family,” Walters said. “Maybe it makes me sad that I’ll be 76 years old next week and I’m still having this same discussion. But it is an important discussion to have.”
McHenry was one of five new members selected for the new class in the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame. Also chosen were:
- The late Helen Dancer (1940-2024), of Berea, chaired the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission and worked to establish curriculum to teach Native American and African American histories in Kentucky schools.
- William L. Davis, of Lexington, was the first African American to serve as director of the Administrative Law and Civil Litigation Branch of the Division of General Legal Services of the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.
- Amber Duke, of Louisville, is the first Black woman to lead the ACLU of Kentucky. Inspired at a young age by John Lewis, she is known for getting into “good trouble” by shining a light on inequalities that impact marginalized people.
- The late Virginia Moore (1962-2023) of Willisburg, worked for the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for 28 years and became executive director in 2009. She made sure vital information was shared in American Sign Language during disaster preparation and response. She became widely recognized as a sign language interpreter during Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily COVID-19 updates during the pandemic.
Alissa Young, president of Hopkinsville Community College, served as mistress of ceremonies for the Hall of Fame program.
The Hall of Fame is an educational tool for Kentucky, and its members have been a “voice for the voiceless,” said Young.
“They have fought not only for a seat at the table but also to have a say in the agenda … and the outcome at the table. Many have fought this good fight, and we are here today to tell this year’s 15 nominees that their fight has not gone unnoticed,” she said. “We cannot become complacent in this battle for change. A lot of strides have been made, yes. But if change is to continue to come, we must keep our eyes and ears open and our nose to the ground. We must be aware. Stay informed of what is happening around us in our communities, in this state and in this nation. We must put in the work for positive change.”
The remaining nominees were:
- Joseph “J.W.” Cleary, of Paducah, served as president of the Paducah-McCracken County Chapter of the NAACP for more than 30 years and as vice president of the Kentucky chapter for several years.
- Edward Dove, of Lexington, is an attorney specializing in civil rights, employment discrimination, housing discrimination, disability law and education law. He has served as attorney for the Lexington-Fayette County Human Rights Commission since 1991.
- Reynaldo M. Henderson, of Paducah, is a member of the Paducah City Commission. He has sought to “establish, build, improve, restore, empower and preserve the lives of people from all walks of life.”
- Bernice Henry, of Ashland, is chair of the Ashland Human Rights Commission and serves on the state commission. For more than 46 years she has worked to break down barriers while working to create more inclusive and equity in her community.
- Amos Izerimana, of Louisville, is a native of Burundi in East Central Africa. He was appointed director of the Office for Immigrant Affairs in 2023.
- Bishop Dennis V. Lyons, of Louisville, raises public awareness about human rights issues through his talk show “Talk at Night” on WLLV. In addition, his project called The Bishop’s Table is known as a place of unity and respect.
- The late Rev. Dr. Garland Kimble Offutt Sr. (1908-1976), of Louisville, was pastor of West Chestnut Street Baptist Church, which during the height of the Civil Rights Movement was a hub of training. He helped mobilize Louisville during the 1964 March on Frankfort.
- Serena Owen, of Elsmere, helps families needing emergency housing and shelter and provides more than 15,000 pounds of food to 500 individuals and families in Northern Kentucky. She is the first African American elected to the Erlanger-Elsmere Board of Education.
- The late Adolfo “Ben” Ruiz (1941-2023), of Louisville, was recognized as his city’s Latino/Hispanic ambassador. He was a founding members and chair of Louisville Latino Council.
- The late Ellen “Amanda” Offutt Wigginton (1917-1989) of Lexington, was a cosmetologist and a folk life artist whose work was a bridge to address poverty rooted in racism, classism, ageism and the lack of accessibility in public accommodations.
Two Hopkinsville women contributed talent to Friday’s program. Vocalist Chassity Mumford sang two solos, and poet Jada Poindexter recited a poem she wrote for occasion.
The theme for the ceremony was “A Change is Gonna Come.”
Prior to the ceremony, the governing board for the Kentucky Human Rights Commission conducted a meeting at the Hopkinsville Municipal Center but took no action because it lacked a quorum. Following the meeting, the commissioners had lunch with several Hopkinsville residents at Grace Episcopal Church.
Hopkinsville native Raymond Burse is board chair for the state commission.
Burse noted that Kentucky was the first Southern state to adopt civil rights legislation — which another Hopkinsville native, Gov. Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt, signed into law on Jan. 27, 1966.
“We are proud of those accomplishments in the past … but we have a lot more to do,” said Burse.
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.
