The Muhammad Ali Center, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Louisville, announced its upcoming Daughters of Greatness speaker: Suzy Post. Post will speak at the Center on Friday, March 18 at 8:30 a.m.
The Daughters of Greatness breakfast series invites prominent women engaged in social philanthropy, activism, and pursuits of justice to share their stories with the Louisville community.
Suzy Post was born in 1933 in Louisville, the daughter of first-generation German Jewish immigrants. She dedicated her life early on to the fight against inequality in this country. After World War II she became a tireless supporter of Civil Rights, joining the NAACP and participating in demonstrations through the 1960’s and 1970’s. In 1968, she was elected president of what is now the ACLU of Kentucky and created this Commonwealth’s first statewide Women’s Conference. Working at the Presbyterian Seminary’s Prophetic Ministry Department, she advised students about welfare and tenant rights.
In addition, she organized the largest demonstration in the state’s history when our president called for the bombings in Cambodia: 6,000 people assembled in downtown Louisville and marched to a local high school for speeches. She rushed from her son Ben’s bar mitzvah to help lead the walk of protesters.
Working at the Jefferson County Human Relations Commission, she addressed issues of school desegregation, and, in 1970, she was elected to the national Board of the ACLU and became its vice president in 1972. She worked alongside national leaders on issues such as women’s rights, and was a key resource for helping Kentucky women who were imprisoned or had just been released.
Post became director of the ACLU of Kentucky, and in that capacity, supervised a lawsuit to force the Kentucky High School Athletic Association to name black referees to its rulebook. She also advocated for numerous social causes, and in 1998, she became the founding director of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition.
In October 2013, a Suzy Post Roast and Toast honored her in her 80th year and raised nearly $200,000 for Louisville Central Community Centers (LCCC), an organization that serves the Russell neighborhood and other economically stressed Louisville areas. Post would only agree to be honored at the event if it raised funds for LCCC.
The Daughters of Greatness event will begin with a hot breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and the program will follow from 9-10. Tickets are $20 for Ali Center Members, $25 for non-members, $15 for students with IDs, and $200 for a table of 10. Seating is limited. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.alicenter.org or by contacting Erin Herbert at 502-922-5341.
