Outstanding Achievement in Fair Housing Award
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Individual: Edward Dove
Edward
Dove Practices civil litigation and education law in Lexington. He received his
Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland and his law degree from
Drake Law School (J.D. 1982). Mr. Dove has been involved in litigation in
both federal and state courts relating to education, civil rights, employment
discrimination and housing discrimination. He represents the Lexington
Human Rights Commission and the Paris Housing Authority. He authored a
chapter titled “Landlord Tenant and Housing Discrimination Law in Kentucky” in
the Consumer Protection Manual published by the University of Law Kentucky Law
School.
Over the years, Mr. Dove has been very active in representing the Lexington Human Rights Commission in housing discrimination litigation. Mr. Dove was the attorney in the case of Elsie Speed v. Sonnet Cove Apartments, which resulted in a successful jury verdict. This case was the first housing discrimination case in the State of Kentucky that resulted in a successful jury verdict for a local human rights commission.
Mr. Dove is a trained mediator in the area of special education and a past member of the Children’s Rights section of the Kentucky Bar Association. He also serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Education, University of Kentucky. Mr. Dove is currently a member of the Fayette County Bar Association and the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys.
Over the years, Mr. Dove has shown tenacity and perseverance on the front line in the battle against housing discrimination. To this day, Mr. Dove continues this fight and remains and invaluable asset to the citizens of Fayette County who find themselves the victims of housing discrimination.
Individual: Harry Sykes
Mr. Sykes has been a member of our community since 1954. He has served this community in a number of capacities. He has taught high school mathematics for the Public School System at Dunbar High School and coached junior high basketball team. He has been an insurance salesman, a business development officer for Second National Bank, owned his owned real estate brokerage firm, and a contract compliance officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department of Finance.
He was elected to the city council in 1963 and reelected in 1965, 1967, and 1969. During his tenure on the council, he rose to the position of mayor pro-tem and he narrowly lost a race for mayor to Foster Pettit in 1971. From 1972 to 1974, he served as acting city manager and from 1974 until 1975, he served as the acting chief administrative officer for the Urban County Government.
He has served on many community boards and commissions including the YMCA and his church, Historic Pleasant Green Baptist Church. He is a founding member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban League and served as it president from 1968 to 1972.
More importantly, during his tenure in public life, Mr. Sykes used his position as a public official and community leader in helping lead desegregation of our community institutions. He supported the creation of the local human rights commission and creation of the joint city-county human rights commission that created one of the first “open housing” ordinance in the south in 1966. This ordinance preceded the federal fair housing ordinance that was not passed until 1968 in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The award winner’s commitment to fair housing and equal opportunity did not just end when retired. From 1998 until 2008, Mr. Sykes has served on the board of the Lexington Fair Housing Council and has continued to be a constant presence in the fight against housing discrimination.
Mr. Sykes resides in Lexington with his wife of 57 years, Geraldine. They have four sons and one daughter.
Mr. Sykes has shown leadership in fair housing by bringing positive public attention and support to the issue of fair and equal housing opportunity in our community.
Organization: Black Church Coalition
The Black Church Coalition of the Bluegrass operates as a true grassroots collaboration of area faith-based and church congregations in Lexington and the bluegrass region. The financial assistance provided by the Coalition consists mainly of donations received by member congregations, supportive organizations and grants.
The Black Church Coalition provides direct financial assistance to individuals and families facing imminent financial crisis, with a great majority of the provided support being housing related. Many of the individuals assisted by the Coalition face eviction from their rental housing units, foreclosures due to delinquent mortgage payments and/or housing utility disconnection due to inability to pay the bills. The activities of the Coalition provide a direct benefit to the most vulnerable and needy families of the community.
Their assistance allows many households to maintain adequate housing and suitable shelter, as they overcome financial obstacles, which would otherwise place such shelter in danger.
From December of 1983 through December of 2008, the Black Church Coalition has provided over a million dollars of financial support to over 16 thousand families. A majority of this financial support has been utilized for the payment of rent or mortgages.
The Black Church Coalition holds monthly meetings to address issues effecting the community and region. Many times during these meetings, housing-related issues effecting Lexington are discussed. A couple of recent topics addressed by the Coalition include “Don’t Borrow Trouble”, the Lexington Government’s effort to address and combat predatory lending and the BUILD initiative to create an affordable housing trust fund in Lexington.
The Coalition continues to serve as a great venue to obtain resources and information from church leadership, social services and other community groups.
This organization has profoundly impacted the way that fair housing is conducted in our community and has made significant contributions that support the spirit and letter of Fair Housing Laws by their words, deeds, business policies, or other means.