Posted by: KFTC Staff on June 18, 2015
UPDATE, 6/18: SURJ IS HOSTING A CALL TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE ON THE GROUND IN CHARLESTON AND ACTIONS THAT WHITE PEOPLE CAN TAKE TO SUPPORT THEM AND BLACK COMMUNITIES RIGHT NOW. THE CALL IS FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 8:00 EASTERN. REGISTER HERE.
As our vision statement tells us, KFTC is “working for a day when Kentuckians – and all people – enjoy a better quality of life.” And for a day “when discrimination is wiped out of our laws, habits, and hearts.” Getting there requires that we commit to standing up against racism and oppression and encourage and equip our members to do the same.
With that in mind, we invite KFTC members and allies to participate in an upcoming conference call with SURJ—Showing Up for Racial Justice.
Posted by: Tanya Torp on June 16, 2015
I grew up on Air Force bases, crisscrossing this country like a new pair of shoelaces on an old pair of shoes – Tacoma, Washington; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, and Hampton, Virginia, just to name a few.
No matter where we were in the world, whenever we went somewhere on a base, my father, a Flight Line Instructor and a gregarious man who never met a stranger, would strike up a conversation with a young airman, and before you knew it the young man was coming home with us for dinner.
It used to drive me insane. One moment I am minding my own business in the commissary, trying to convince my dad to deviate from my mom’s stringent shopping list, to avoid the sensible oatmeal in exchange for the latest sugary cereal with coveted prizes swaddled somewhere, covertly, between the middle and the bottom of the box. Salivating, I could practically imagine the decadence my deprived taste buds would experience the following morning. The next moment, Dad, with his brown eagle eyes and easy inviting smile, was adding 25 to 45 minutes to our “quick” shopping trip because some guy was homesick, and he knew my mom would make room for this stranger at our dinner table.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on June 15, 2015
To cultivate relationships between Jefferson County and southeast Kentucky KFTC members and facilitate a knowledge exchange around local organizing work, 15 Jefferson County KFTC members (JCKFTC) traveled to southeast Kentucky during Memorial Day weekend for the We Are Kentuckians KFTC Member Exchange. The exchange was also an opportunity for JCKFTC members to build on the momentum of the chapter’s 2nd Annual We Are Kentuckians: Celebrating Our Common Heritage. This March event honored the important but often unheard stories, culture, and heritage of Black Kentuckians through art, music, poetry, and storytelling.
Members were excited to visit the Eastern Kentucky Social club, a 45-year-old Black social club for residents and former residents of Harlan County, Kentucky. The club has chapters across the country, and the Harlan County chapter hosts other chapters every Memorial Day weekend in Lynch. During the trip Jefferson County exchanged experiences with Harlan County members about KFTC canvassing projects in Smoketown (Louisville) and Benham (Harlan County) and enjoyed a potluck dinner and dialogue with members of the Letcher County Chapter.
Posted by: KFTC staff on June 15, 2015
Lexington Fayette County Urban Government is considering raising the minimum wage and the Central Kentucky KFTC Chapter has been hard at work moving the campaign forward.
The ordinance being considered would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for hourly employees and $3.09 for tipped workers. Both rates of pay would be increased over a period of three years.
After three years, the minimum wage rate would be tied to inflation.
Posted by: KFTC Staff on May 20, 2015
As our vision statement tells us, KFTC is “working for a day when Kentuckians – and all people – enjoy a better quality of life.” And for a day “when discrimination is wiped out of our laws, habits, and hearts.” Getting there requires that we commit to standing up against racism and oppression and encourage and equip our members to do the same.
With that in mind, we invite KFTC members and allies to participate in an upcoming conference call with SURJ—Showing Up for Racial Justice.
Posted by: Jessie Skaggs on May 18, 2015
Members from Jefferson County, Northern Kentucky, and Central Kentucky recently traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in Populism 2015, a conference organized by National People’s Action (NPA), Campaign for America’s Future, Alliance for a Just Society, and USAction. The conference was a gathering of grassroots organizers, activists, and leaders “committed to building a new, multiracial populist movement to transform our country.”
Posted by: KFTC Staff on May 18, 2015
“Obviously there’s a connection between poverty and racism. In our work, there has to be a connection. If we address economic injustice but not racial injustice, we aren’t finished with our work,” noted Meta Mendel-Reyes of Madison County as the KFTC Steering Committee opened its spring retreat.
The Steering Committee gathered May 15 and 16 in Bowling Green to explore the intersectionality of economic justice and racial justice. The workshop built toward a discussion of KFTC’s campaign for progressive state tax reform and ways to ramp up and build public support for that campaign.
Posted by: KFTC staff on May 16, 2015
Lamar Keys, KFTC’s chairperson from 2000 to 2002, passed away earlier this week after a bout with cancer. He was only 61 and is survived by Darlene, his wife, and two grown children.
At the time, Lamar represented a growing KFTC presence in western Kentucky. He was a leader in the newly formed Union County chapter, and an active church and civic leader in Morganfield.
Posted by: Lisa Abbott on May 15, 2015
Are you a young person (under 30) interested in building a diverse, powerful, youth-led environmental movement in Kentucky? Or do you know folks who fit that description? If so, check out this awesome opportunity to attend an 7-day intensive leadership development camp hosted by the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition.
The training program, called Catalyst, will take place July 26-August 2 at the Life Adventure Center in Versailles, Kentucky. Participants will learn skills to launch and sustain effective campaigns for change on their campuses and in their communities. The program will maintain an emphasis on anti-oppression, inclusion, and relationship-building for the long-haul.
Posted by: Megan McKinney on May 12, 2015
At its February meeting, the KFTC Steering Committee established a Racial Justice Ad Hoc Workteam whose purpose is to develop a workplan for educating members and chapters on racial justice issues this year. As part of its work, the Team hopes to have something in each issue of Balancing the Scales related to racial justice issues. Sometimes that might be an update on local work; sometimes it might be an educational/historical piece; sometimes it might be a personal reflection. This piece, originally printed in our April 2015 issue of Balancing the Scales, comes from Madison County member Megan McKinney.
While Kentucky certainly holds a special place in my heart, I’m actually a native Tennessean. As such, I often feel my heart swell with pride whenever I hear or see any reference to Memphis-style BBQ, a very bright shade of orange, or the great Dolly Parton. Sadly, I always seem to remember a bit of the bad, as well. Shortly after the Civil War, six Confederate veterans got together to create an organization to oppress African Americans. The Ku Klux Klan has become one of the most infamous hate groups in the entire world, and it was started in humble Pulaski, Tennessee. This history wasn’t actively taught when I was in secondary school. However, some of those same values were still evident. While I cannot remember any active racial violence, I can very clearly recall the prejudices and the hate-filled speech. I remember hearing my father frequently using the N-word. I recall how my mother would become obviously uncomfortable and mumble “that’s just not right” whenever she saw an interracial couple. Many years later, I can still easily count the number of non-white students in my grade in elementary school: three African-Americans, three Hispanics, no Asians.
