A three-lecture series on Juneteenth will examine the past, present and future state of racial and social justice. Crystal Bradley, vice president of the , coordinated the series. UofL News caught up with Bradley to discuss Juneteenth and its continuing impact.

UofL News: How do you feel like our collective understanding of Juneteenth has evolved the past few years?

Bradley: There has been more awareness for everyone about the significance of Juneteenth, not just an awareness but a kind of freedom to celebrate the event as part of history. Juneteenth is not just Black history but it’s American history. It should be a positive thing and something that unifies us, not divides us. We can celebrate the idea of such an oppressive system of slavery being dismantled. You can imagine the enslaved getting this message that you don’t have to live this way anymore. That’s what we celebrate with Juneteenth, this message that you’re finally free from this oppressive system.

UofL News: What do you think is the most important thing that needs to be communicated about Juneteenth?

Bradley: Accuracy. Having a correct insight on history and the significance of it. It is not a divisive or taboo subject, and while it’s not pretty, it is American history and it’s our history to be embraced and shared by all. Information should be shared with everyone, so I think that’s the most critical part.

UofL News: How did the thematic concept of past, present and future – the idea of where we’ve been, where we are, where we’re going – how does that play into the struggle for racial equality?

Bradley: The Juneteenth event planning committee was deciding how to frame it, and we thought with everything going on this year, there are some people who want to rewrite history, and some just want to bury it altogether. With this theme of past, present, future, it’s kind of hitting the pause button on all of the noise to say, hey, let’s have an open, intelligent discussion with scholars and people who know about this subject matter. Let’s look back where we were as a community and talk about how the decisions made back then affected us, and how what we do now is going to affect us 20, 30, 40 years from now. We don’t want to stay stuck, so we need to have a vision to look forward. Our goal with this theme was to reflect, to pause and look at where we are and then to envision where we want to be in the future.

UofL News: Can you tell us a little bit about each speaker of the series?

Bradley: Monday, June 17th, Metro District 4 Councilman Jecorey Arthur is going to speak to our present component. One reason we chose him is because it is the 60^th anniversary of “freedom summer,” where in 1964, there was a big push to increase Black voter registration. That was in alignment with looking at how decisions we made back then plays into where we are now and the importance of voting, and how that plays into where and how we move forward as a society.��

On Tuesday, June 18, John Mays, former director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Yum Brands, also known as the “I believe I can – man,” is going to address the future aspect. He’s a dynamic coach, author, entrepreneur and DEI motivational speaker. He brings a lot of energy, and he’s going to speak to that vision that we can have for ourselves as African Americans and as Americans collectively.

June 19^th is the official holiday, so on Thursday, June 20, the Coalition on the History of the Enslaved, which is a partnership and a collective of four diverse groups here in Louisville, will close out our speaker series. These are scholars who have deep knowledge of all the historical facts and points and sites within Louisville and surrounding areas such as the Oxmoor farm. They will speak about the impacts of the past, and tie back to how it affects us now and going forward. There’s been a lot of talk of slavery and what it is and what it isn’t, but I guarantee after listening to this group�� we’ll all walk away knowing more than we did before.

UofL News: Where do you see positive/ negative movement in addressing racial justice issues?

Bradley: Positive movement is that people are feeling more empowered to take up that fight, because it is a fight when you are going against forces and groups that feel like a zero-sum game. If you have, that means I can’t have, when we can actually all have. It’s a long, tiring fight, but I am encouraged that people – Black, white, Latinx – are all willing to say no, we’re going to push back on this agenda. No, we are not going to accept that.

We’re going to continue to fight, and when they change the rules of the game, which they do, then we’ll adjust and adapt but we’ll continue to push equity and inclusion forward because it’s important.

What is negative is that for every step made to increase equitable solutions, the powers-that-be are there to knock you ten steps back. Now they’re passing legislation and controlling what goes on in the classroom and changing the narrative. They’re in powerful positions that can affect that kind of change. So that’s really discouraging, but we wouldn’t have come this far as a society, as a community, as a collective, had we just accepted other people’s agendas years ago.

Learn more about the .

“I decided after completing a 6th grade career project in which students research their desired life occupation,” Alleyne said. “I don’t know how I came up with the idea. My cousin’s half-brother was a doctor, but I didn’t know him at that time. Following up on the career project, I did a report on Howard University, Dr. Charles Drew and other pioneering African American physicians.”

Born in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1932, Alleyne and her family moved to Louisville in 1941. She graduated from Central High School in 1949 and enrolled in the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes. She transferred to UofL in 1951 where she completed her bachelor’s degree with a biology major.

In 1953, Alleyne became the first African American female admitted to the School of Medicine.

“Transferring as a junior, I knew I could do college work. I am deeply religious and always had faith that with God’s help, I would succeed,” she said. “As part of the civil rights movement, my fellow students and I were inspired, knowing that we were making history and changing the nation.”

Although the university had been integrated, much of the city remained segregated. Alleyne took the challenges in stride and focused on achieving her goals.

“Since I had lived all my life under racial segregation, I had learned to endure it with equanimity and did not feel denigrated or put down by incidents that may have discouraged others,” Alleyne said. “I came to UofL to further my career goal and did not let anything distract me from that goal. It helps to be calm, brave and focused.”

Alleyne became the first African American female to graduate from the UofL School of Medicine in 1957. Encouraged by a friend who was in medical school at Loma Linda University, she moved to California where she completed her internship at Los Angeles County General Hospital.

She returned to Louisville for a pediatrics residency before finishing her residency at District of Columbia General Hospital in Washington, D.C., and taught there as a clinical instructor in pediatrics for Howard University. After getting married, Alleyne and her husband made a number of moves around the country.

Alleyne continued her education, earning master’s degrees in business administration and public health, and eventually returned to California. There, she served as a pediatrician and chief pediatrician at the Watts Health Center in Los Angeles and as a pediatric consultant with the Charles Drew Clinical Review Team for the Office of Economic Opportunity’s new Neighborhood Health Centers. She was a clinician and administrator with Los Angeles County Department of Health Services for 22 years. She retired from practice in 1999.

Alleyne encourages young people to pursue their goals with determination.

“Set yourself a goal and work toward it,” Alleyne said. “Don’t let other folks define your abilities and objectives.”

Recently, Alleyne’s daughter, Valerie Alleyne Udeozor, a professor of nursing at Santa Monica College in California, produced a documentary about her mother’s life journey, “.” In the film, Alleyne recounts her time at UofL and her experiences with segregation. Alleyne and Udeozor hope the film will inspire young African Americans to enter careers in medicine.

“Becoming a doctor is really a great career! However, it requires exceptional amounts of determination, money, energy and study. It is not for the faint of heart,” Alleyne said. “There are numerous other medical careers that don’t require so much of your life. You can learn a lot about medical careers while working in hospitals, clinics and other institutions.”

Alleyne advises those who choose to pursue a career as a physician to stay focused and remember that their work is a mission.

“Realize that it’s not just a job; it’s a service and a calling. Always do your best for your patients. Always be willing to listen and learn,” Alleyne said.

“Good grades are key. Make an ‘A’ in every subject that you can. Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Exercise and maintain a healthy weight and a positive attitude! Stay strong! Keep the faith!”