More than 150 people attended the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Human Rights Commission’s 13th Annual Fair Housing Luncheon on April 7, 2009, at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort. The luncheon honored individuals, organizations and businesses that have shown exemplary performances in fair housing practices and recognized local 3rd grade elementary students who participated in the fair housing coloring contest. Mr. Jeffery Gatica, Senior Adviser for Community Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, was this year’s guest speaker. Mr. Gatica spoke about the Federal Reserve Bank and their programs offered. The Outstanding Achievement in Fair Housing Awards were also presented during the event to Mr. Edward Dove, the Black Church Coalition of the Bluegrass and Mr. Harry Sykes. The awards are given to people and organizations that have positively impacted fair housing practices in the Lexington-Bluegrass region. Recipient Edward Dove practices civil litigation and education law in Lexington and serves as the Commission Attorney for the Lexington Human Rights Commission. Mr. Dove was the attorney in Elsie Speed v. Sonnet Cove Apartments, which was the first housing discrimination case in Kentucky that resulted in a successful verdict for a local human rights commission. The award was also presented to the Black Church Coalition of the Bluegrass, which provides financial assistance to individuals and families facing financial crises. The Coalition has provided over a million dollars of financial support to about 16,000 families, with the majority of the support being housing related. The final recipient of the award was Mr. Harry Sykes, who has been a member of the community since 1954 and supported the creation of the city-county human rights commission that created one of the first “open housing” ordinances in the south. Past recipients of the award include Lillian Gentry, Robert Jefferson, Heritage & Canterbury Apartments and the Lexington Apartment Association. Twenty third-graders also attended the luncheon as part of the Fair Housing Coloring Contest. Harrison Elementary School and William Wells Brown Elementary School each selected the top 10 coloring contest finalists to send to the luncheon. All students were honored individually at the event with the top student from each school receiving a grand prize. The Commission would like to thank the following for co-sponsoring the 13th Annual Fair Housing Luncheon: Community Action
Council Fair Housing/Cultural Diversity Awareness ProgramThe Human Rights Commission started the Harrison Elementary Fair
Housing/Cultural Diversity Awareness Program in 1998 to educate the students on
diversity issues and the students’ parents/guardians on fair housing issues. Over the past ten years the Commission has provided an array of activities
and includes the third grade class in fair housing month activities every April.
In April 2001 the students participated in a fair housing coloring contest,
attended the Commission’s fair housing luncheon and won awards, and traveled
to Frankfort, KY to meet Governor Paul Patton as he signed the fair housing
month proclamation for 2000. Harrison third-grade teacher, Jane Hellmann has been a key supporter of the program. In addition, several members of the community have contributed to the program such as Brenda Wells and Nancy Smith of the Lexington Apartment Association and the Lexington Bluegrass Association of Realtors®. The Commission expanded it's Fair Housing Coloring Contest and William Wells Brown Elementary School also participated. We hope to add additional elementary schools in the future. Please contact the Commission if you would like the Commission to include your or your child's school in the future.
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