GEORGIA DAVIS POWERS

 
(Jefferson County, 1923-2016) In 1968, Senator Georgia Davis Powers became the first African American, man or woman, to hold a seat in the Kentucky State Senate. Once in office, Senator Powers, a fighter for civil rights issues, introduced as her first bill a statewide fair housing law. During her twenty-one years in office, she sponsored civil rights legislation prohibiting sex, job, and age discrimination. She was a member of various organizations and the recipient of numerous awards, including honorary doctorate degrees from both the University of Kentucky and Louisville. Senator Powers wishes to be remembered as “one who really cared.”