Jefferson County | Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

Chapter: Jefferson County

Public education policy that supports students, caregivers, and educators is a top priority for members at the Jefferson County KFTC chapter. Our members are opposed to any break-up of the Jefferson County Public Schools district, and have heard overwhelmingly from Kentuckians that more funding is the foundation of public education that meets the needs of Kentuckians.

You can join our KFTC Public Education Policy Workteam meetings here.


Since the chapter formed in 1983, we have supported and worked with allies on issues that affect you and me, including affordable housing, police abuse, sweat shops, hazardous waste reduction and recycling. Our doors are open to anyone who wants to fight for justice while building a compassionate, connected, and fun community here in our great city. 

 

Recent Activities

Former Felon Voices - Mark Romines, Louisville

Alicia Hurle on April 22, 2013 in Voting Rights, Former Felon Voices, , Kentucky Voting Rights Bill, Jefferson County, Voter Empowerment

Mark RominesIn an attempt to share more of the stories from former felons across the Commonwealth, we’re presenting a series of short interviews every few weeks on our blog and in our newsletter balancing the scales.

Mark Romines is a Louisville, Kentucky native. He has been happily married for 32 years and has a son, 2 daughters, and 2 grandchildren. Mark has been a member of the Volunteers in Police Services program for 7 years. He is a volunteer usher at the University of Louisville basketball and football games and a member of his local homeowners’ association. Mark is also active with KFTC’s Coal Ash campaign. Mark is a carpenter by trade and served in the military. In his spare time he enjoys watching college sports and riding his motorcycle and ATV.
 
Mark lost his right to vote in Kentucky almost 40 years ago after being convicted on a drug charge in Nebraska. At the time he was not aware that he was considered a felon. “I was placed on probation and didn’t spend any time in jail.” It wasn’t until he received a call from the ATF more than 20 years later asking that he surrender a hunting rifle he had recently purchased that Mark found out he was a former felon.

Jefferson County Chapter discusses fair housing

Jennifer Jeffers on April 16, 2013 in Coal and Water, Economic Justice, Jefferson County

The Fair Housing Act was enacted 45 years ago on April 11, 1968, and April is Fair Housing Month. So this month's Jefferson County chapter meeting was a great time to continue the conversation on fair housing in Louisville that we started during our March meeting.

We began by brainstorming ways our chapter could be involved in addressing local housing issues. Some of the ideas shared included:

Register and attend the "Get on the Bus" tour of Louisville's housing segregation history on April 23rd Make housing issues a key focus of our chapter's economic justice committee Include fair housing fliers when tabling at events Respond to the Mayor Fischer's plan for vacant housing  Attend Metro Councile meetings in support of the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund  Interview people affected by housing issues and make a video to raise awareness Contact groups like Local Options for Kentucky Liens (LOKL) and Network Center for Community Change (NC3) to find out if they are doing any door-to-door work around housing issues that we can assist with Re-establishing Louisville's Tenant's Association
 

(We would love to add to this list – email your ideas to Alicia, [email protected])

We also discussed the prevalence of the “not in my neighborhood” attitude in Louisville, historic buildings being torn down in the Portland neighborhood, and apartment buildings for low-income residents on Cherokee Parkway being torn down and replaced by high-rent condominiums.

Louisville Loves Mountains Youth Essay Contest

Alicia Hurle on April 2, 2013 in Coal and Water, Just Transition, , Mountaintop Removal and Strip Mining, Jefferson County
Make your voice heard at Louisville Loves Mountains 2013!

I Love Mountains Day 2012 We know that young Kentuckians care deeply about our mountains and mountain communities. This year, we want to make sure their voices are heard loud and clear at Kentuckians For The Commonwealth’s Louisville Loves Mountains Festival on Longest Ave and Bardstown Road, May 17th from 4-10 pm.

That is why we are asking young people to share their written thoughts and ideas for a brighter future for our mountains. And then they can help us deliver those ideas to everyone at Louisville Loves Mountains where we will announce the winners of our essay contest.

Jefferson County Chapter meeting reportback

Emily Nordling on March 14, 2013 in Economic Justice, Jefferson County

 This Monday marked the Jefferson County chapter’s first meeting to include the new facilitation style agreed upon by our (also new) Chapter Development Work Team. We’re off to a great start! We began by introducing ourselves, laying out ground rules – such as “step forward, step back” – reading our mission statement, and reviewing our agenda.

Voting Rights Meeting and Action!

Dave Newton on February 4, 2013 in Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Bill, Jefferson County, General Assembly, , Voter Empowerment

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 This weekend, we had a powerful statewide meeting in Louisville with allies to plan our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

We had forty participants from a wide range of groups including Jobs with Justice, NAACP, the Kentucky Council of Churches, Stepping to a New Beat, and the UAW along with a lot of KFTCmembers.  Many of the participants were former felons themselves. 

We used a lot of the time to let people in the room have a chance to connect, root themselves in why they think restoring voting rights is important, and review the history of ourcampaign and the current landscape. 

But after that, we focused a lot on actions to restore voting rights to former felons and we're sharing those out to the broader public here:

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Chapter Feature:

Regular Meetings:

Jefferson County KFTC office
786 Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Monthly Chapter Meeting

Our chapter meetings are held in person on the 2nd Monday of the month, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and are open to the public. Anyone is welcome to participate. RSVP here!

Chapter Organizer:

Bonifacio Aleman
786 Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203

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