Interview with Elaine Farris, August 21, 2009
Project: History of Education in Kentucky: General Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Elaine Farris (b. 1955 - ) talks about her childhood in the segregated schools of Winchester, Kentucky; a teacher who inspired her; how race affected her outlook; being bossy; her faith; her family; her work before teaching; the Distinguished Educator program; the Kentucky Minority Superintendent Intern Program; Fayette County Schools; Shelby County Schools; Clark County Schools; dealing with racism; and what it takes to close achievement gaps.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
History of education in Kentucky Blacks in Kentucky First African American school superintendent in Kentucky Richard Day Kentucky Department of Education Minority Superintendent Intern Program J. H. Atkins Broader, Bolder Approach Jonah Brown Charter schools Clay Street Baptist Church, Shelbyville (Ky.) Reverend Louis Coleman Dr. Richard E. Day Dr. jon Draud Educational Equality Project Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church, Richmond (Ky.) Farm Bureau Reverend Alvin Farris Ryan Farris First Baptist Church, Winchester (Ky.) George Rogers Clark High School Newt Gingrich W. Blake Haselton Brenda Jackson Justice Resource Center Kentucky Education Commissioner Kentucky Department of Education Kentucky School Board Association Robert King Sarah Emma Mason Virginia Menifee Minority Superintendent Intern Program Leon Mooneyhan National Alliance of Black School Educators Don Pace Richard Rothstein Senate Bill 1 Reverend Al Sharpton Shearer Elementary School Stu Silberman Henry Smith Donald Smith Sonia Sotamayor Dr. Gene Wilhoit Diane Woods Dr. Lucian YatesInterview LC Subject
Winchester (Ky.) Race relations--Kentucky Race discrimination--Kentucky Segregation in education--Kentucky African Americans--Segregation Shelby County (Ky.) Kentucky. Education Reform Act (1990) African Americans--Education Fayette County (Ky.) Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Eastern Kentucky University Clark County (Ky.) Education--KentuckyInterview Rights
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.Interview Usage
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.Restriction
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, 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.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Farris, Elaine Interview by Richard Day. 21 Aug. 2009. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Farris, E. (2009, August 21). Interview by R. Day. History of Education in Kentucky: General Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Farris, Elaine, interview by Richard Day. August 21, 2009, History of Education in Kentucky: General Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7gth8bk44d