The Late, Helen Danser (1940-2024), Berea, KY
Mrs. Danser dedicated her life to serving her community. She was always an advocate for human rights and civil rights for all people, especially for native Americans. She served as the Chair of the Kentucky Native Ameri-can Heritage Commission. Mrs. Danser spent substantial time working to establish curriculum to teach Native American and African American histories in Kentucky schools. She represented and fought for the rights of recognized and non-recognized American Indians in Kentucky at the National Congress of the American Indians (NCAI) and as a member of the Governor’s Interstate Indian Council (GIIC). Keeping native American’s issues in the forefront of Kentucky’s consciousness was Mrs. Danser’s labor of love.
William L. Davis, Lexington, KY
Mr. Davis was the first African American to serve as Director of Administrative Law and Civil Litigation Branch of the Division of General Legal Services of the Attorney General’s (AG) Office; the first African American to serve as the Assistant Deputy Attorney General/Director in the Kentucky AG Office; the first African American to serve as a United States Air Force Captain/Assistant Staff Judge Advocate of the 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, and, the first African American Trial Prosecutor and Chief of Civil Law. He has championed the civil rights of individuals in the court system.
Amber Duke, Louisville, KY
Amber Duke is a trusted civil rights leader who was inspired by John Lewis at a young age. Ms. Duke has spent her entire professional career finding ways to get into “good trouble”, by shining a light on systematic inequalities that disproportionality impact Black and other marginalized people. She is the first Black woman to lead the ACLU of Kentucky in its 67-year history as she brings some of the best leadership in the Commonwealth to the struggle for equity, justice, and freedom. Ms. Duke made sure that marginalized people who were speaking out felt safe, supported, and had access to the resources they needed as their stories became the bedrock of emerging social justice movement in Kentucky.
The Late, Louis Porter McHenry (1914-1967), Hopkinsville, KY
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. OnJune 18, 1963, and ordinance draft 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 Mr. 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 a national office in Kentucky’s 1st congressional district.
The Late, Virginia Moore (1962-2023), Willisburg, KY
Ms. Moore worked for the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (KCDHH) for 28 years and became Executive Director of KCDHH in 2009. Her efforts in awareness and advocacy affected countless Kentuckians. During her tenure at KCDHH she tackled several barriers, including: making sure vital information was shared in American Sign Language during disaster preparation and response; establishing early childhood hearing screenings; ensuring children have complete early language access; promoting retirement facilities/living communities equipped for deaf and hard of hearing; providing access to closed captioning in sports venues; safeguarding police officers and citizens who are deaf by establishing a way to alert officers that a driver being stopped has a hearing loss and communication/telephone access for deaf inmates.