Lexington joins other Kentucky communities in acknowledging painful history of racial violence • Kentucky Lantern

Lexington joins other Kentucky communities in acknowledging painful history of racial violence • Kentucky Lantern

From left, civil rights activists Russell Allen and DeBraun Thomas, and historian George Wright, at the unveiling of a marker to honor R.C.O. Benjamin, a journalist, minister, and activist killed while trying to register Black voters in Lexington in 1900. The two jars of soil commemorate the site where he was killed. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Linda Blackford)One of Lexington’s biggest Juneteenth events now takes place at Gatton Park; on Saturda…

Lexington joins other Kentucky communities in acknowledging painful history of racial violence - The Lexington Times

By Linda Blackford, Kentucky Lantern · June 22, 2026 One of Lexington’s biggest Juneteenth events now takes place at Gatton Park; on Saturday, Soulfest filled the amphitheater with the smells of BBQ while music wafted from the stage as friends hugged and visited. And a little way off from the party, a man wept. DeBraun Thomas had waited and worked for this moment for the past 10 years. Amidst all the celebrations, a historical marker had just be…