Contact: Gail Hairston

“Lexington’s Civil Rights Legacy” is free and open to the public at 7 p.m. May 17 at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts. For more information, contact William Turner at (859) 257-1991.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 13, 2005) -- “Lexington’s Civil Rights Legacy,” a collection of dramatic black and white images by amateur photographer Calvert McCann depicting events of the social movement during the early 1960s, will be on display at the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. May 17.

The exhibit “recognizes and celebrates the people of Lexington who overcame fear, bigotry and official neglect,” said William Turner, UK vice president for University Initiatives and associate provost for Multicultural Affairs.

UK recently purchased a 24-piece collection of McCann’s photographs, which includes images of sit-ins at Lexington restaurants, marches on Main Street, prayer vigils on the steps of the Fayette County court house, demonstrations in front of the old Phoenix Hotel, and the segregated seating areas of Keeneland Race Course. The photos were brought to the public’s attention when UK history Professor Gerald Smith found McCann’s photos while he was researching Lexington’s African-American history and heritage. Smith’s book, “Black American Series: Lexington, Kentucky,” showcased many of McCann’s images.

“If it had not been for Calvert (McCann), we wouldn't have a visual record of this moment in Lexington’s history,” Smith said in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader. In 2004, the Lexington newspaper published a series of articles about Civil Rights activities in the Bluegrass, “Front-page News, Back-page Coverage.” Many of McCann’s photographs illustrated the series.

“Lexington’s Civil Rights Legacy” is free and open to the public at 7 p.m. May 17 at the UK Singletary Center for the Arts. For more information, contact William Turner at (859) 257-1991.