The 1964 March on Frankfort (2023)

Mariam hosts a roundtable discussion with librarians Brenna and Heather about the 1964 March on Frankfort. On March 5, 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball player Jackie Robinson, and band Peter, Paul and Mary participated in a march from Louisville to Frankfort to advocate for the passage of a bill to end segregated public accommodations in Kentucky. This bill was eventually passed in 1966, but previous to that time, a pivotal moment in Kentucky Civil Rights history was several Black NBA players, including Bill Russell, were not allowed accommodation in the Phoenix Hotel because of their race. 

 

Producer Erin briefly joins the conversation when the talks move into how the March, and many aspects of Kentucky history, including Civil Rights, are not taught in Kentucky schools, and how surprised Heather, Mariam and Erin were to discover the March had happened only as adults.

 

There is no known transcription of the speeches given at the March on Frankfort, but the Library does have a digitized copy of the program available in the Digital Archive. Brenna makes many recommendations for further learning on this topic, including oral histories, in the episode.