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By Emilia Perez
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But there lies the legacy of a less prominent icon in our city, and her name is Alberta Jones.
Ms. Alberta was born and raised in Louisville. She, like me, is a graduate of Central High school, which lies about 2 miles from our University. She, like so many of us, walked the grounds of this campus as a student at the University of Louisville’s School of Law. As a civil rights activist, she lived a life of service for her community.
While Louisville has progressed much in the past 50 years, Alberta grew up in a very different environment. The 1950s was a time of legal segregation in jobs, schools, housing, and real estate. Voting rights had not yet been established and discrimination based on race and sex was not prohibited.
In 1956, Alberta was the first African-American to attend the University of Louisville’s school of Law.
She went on to transfer to Howard University in DC, and graduated at the top of her class. Three years
later, Alberta became the first African American woman to pass the Kentucky Bar Exam. She went on to
represent a young Cassius Clay who would go on to become the great Muhammad Ali. He was her
neighbor, fellow Central High School graduate, and a friend for the rest of her life. She opened a law
office in downtown Louisville and a year later, was appointed city attorney in Jefferson County. This
makes her the very first woman of any race or ethnicity to hold that position. That same year, she was
appointed as prosecutor for the Domestic Relations Court, once again the first woman to hold that
position.
She went on to transfer to Howard University in DC, and graduated at the top of her class. Three years
later, Alberta became the first African American woman to pass the Kentucky Bar Exam. She went on to
represent a young Cassius Clay who would go on to become the great Muhammad Ali. He was her
neighbor, fellow Central High School graduate, and a friend for the rest of her life. She opened a law
office in downtown Louisville and a year later, was appointed city attorney in Jefferson County. This
makes her the very first woman of any race or ethnicity to hold that position. That same year, she was
appointed as prosecutor for the Domestic Relations Court, once again the first woman to hold that
position.
There is a great quote that she gave the Courier Journal in an interview shortly before her death. When
she returned to Louisville from law school people told her, “You’ve got two strikes against you: you’re a woman and you’re Black.” She responded, “Yeah, but I still have one strike left, and I’ve seen people get home runs when all they’ve got left is one strike.”
Besides so many groundbreaking achievements for women and people of color, Alberta was active in
advocating for the rights of marginalized groups in our community.
Alberta participated in the 1963 Louisville civil rights marches and March on Washington. She was an
advocate for increased voter participation in the Black community of Louisville, and helped to found the Independent Voters Association. This organization worked to register 6,000 African American voters. Alberta rented our voter machines and taught classes in her own office on “how to vote for your
candidate.” Thanks to her efforts, the new influx of black voters helped to replace Louisville’s then-mayor, Bruce Hoblitzer. He had failed to support the community’s demand for an ordinance banning segregation. The new voters elected representatives that went on to ban racial discrimination in businesses, the first ordinance of its kind in the South.
Alberta was also very involved with civil rights organizations like the Louisville chapter of the Urban
League and the NAACP.
Sadly, her life was tragically cut short at the age of 34, in a murder that has never been solved. But we
have hope of attaining justice for Alberta since the case was reopened in 2017.
Just because her photo is in black and white does not mean she is ancient history, or that her legacy does not continue. Born in 1930, she would have turned 93 years old this November, making her younger than actor Dick Van Dyke and narrator David Attenborough. She is survived by her little sister, Flora Shanklin, who helped Central High School to present the inaugural Alberta O Jones Award in 2021. This ceremony took place in Central’s Law and Government classroom, fittingly named the official Alberta O Jones Courtroom. As a historically Black high school, over 500 students have gone through the law and government program (including me) and over 150 Central Alumni have received law degrees from UofL’s Law School.
Alberta was a pioneer, opening doors that were not open previously for women and people of color, and did so much for the Louisville that we now live in.
Alberta’s legacy fills me with pride for my community and with a need to share her story. She worked to establish equal rights and died for the cause. We can keep her legacy alive as we share her impact, fight for the causes she supported, and ensure she is not forgotten.
Emilia Perez is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2027. She is studying political science on a global studies and international affairs track at the University of Louisville.