Interview with William Smith, June 12, 1978
Project: Black People in Lexington Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Mr. Smith moved to Lexington in 1932 where his father was the minister at Shiloh Baptist Church for fifty years. A graduate of the University of Indiana, Smith began working at the Black-only branch of the YMCA in 1956 and rose to the position of Executive Director. He discusses the role of the YMCA in the African American community during segregation and in the 1970s, and the subsequent integration of the organization during the 1960s and white resistance to the process. The history of the Second Street YMCA is recalled, as is his role in the civil rights movement in Lexington.Interview Accession
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Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.
All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.
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Smith, William Interview by Edward Owens. 12 Jun. 1978. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Smith, W. (1978, June 12). Interview by E. Owens. Black People in Lexington Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Smith, William, interview by Edward Owens. June 12, 1978, Black People in Lexington Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
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