KENTUCKY — He is an award-winning teacher, musician, and activist from the West End of Louisville, Kentucky. And in Fall 2020, Louisville Metro Councilman Jecorey Arthur became Louisville's youngest elected official at age 28.
As Councilman of Louisville Metro District 4 Arthur represents the West End of Louisville, through Downtown Louisville, to parts of the East End of Louisville.
During this wide-ranging conversation, Arthur comments on several topics including his inspiration for running for public office, role models growing up, and discussing what Black History Month means to him.
"To a certain extent, Black History Month is in itself a celebration. But it has to be a reminder that we have never truly received liberation. You know, we had emancipation where people were so-called set free. But if you understand the history of emancipation of slaves that history was very brutal, you know, emancipated to famine emancipated to starvation emancipated to homelessness. And we still see that today reflected with people who are so-called emancipated. We have a very harsh winter going on right now. And in that harsh winter so many on the ground grassroots people are advocating for getting people housed and fed and all the supplies that they need. 78% of those people are Black and Black like me. And that is a direct reflection of the fact that in 1865 when the last group of people who were enslaved when they were emancipated. They didn't have anything. They were really emancipated to nothing, and we're still fighting, you know, a century and a half later for that, that true liberation," explains Councilman Arthur