Chuck
February 27th, 2009, 08:48 AM
On Sunday, March 8th at 2:00 p.m. the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center will present a free Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance by Haley S. Bowling who will represent Anna Mac Clarke, the first black Women’s Army Corps officer to command a white unit.
The Young Lt. Clarke struck a powerful blow for racial equality in the military as she didn’t put up with second class treatment from anybody. Anna was born and raised in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and graduated from Kentucky State College [now University] in Frankfort in 1941 with a degree in sociology and economics. Back home in Lawrenceburg, her degree was useless – only domestic jobs were available. She left for New York, and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps.
Clarke reported to Ft. Des Moines, Iowa for officer training. She was the only black graduate in her class. Arriving for duty at Douglas Army Airfield in Arizona, Clarke made history by assuming command of an all-white unit. She then made national news by protesting segregated seating in the base theater. After the base commander heard her arguments, he issued an order banning segregation on the base. A month later Anna Mac Clarke died of a ruptured appendix. She was only 24, but in her short life she had made a difference.
Anna Mac Clarke is portrayed by Haley S. Bowling, who grew up in Jackson County. Bowling has a strong interest in research and historic reenactment. She believes Anna Mac Clarke’s compelling story needs to be more widely known. Bowling is a student at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky.
Kentucky Chautauqua is an exclusive presentation of the Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc. with state wide support from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and funding from the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, Peoples Bank and Trust Company of Hazard, Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, Brown-Forman Corporation, Union College in Barbourville and Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. Locally the presentation is supported by the Hayswood Foundation and the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center.
For further information about the free performance contact the Museum Center at 606.564.5865.
The Young Lt. Clarke struck a powerful blow for racial equality in the military as she didn’t put up with second class treatment from anybody. Anna was born and raised in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and graduated from Kentucky State College [now University] in Frankfort in 1941 with a degree in sociology and economics. Back home in Lawrenceburg, her degree was useless – only domestic jobs were available. She left for New York, and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps.
Clarke reported to Ft. Des Moines, Iowa for officer training. She was the only black graduate in her class. Arriving for duty at Douglas Army Airfield in Arizona, Clarke made history by assuming command of an all-white unit. She then made national news by protesting segregated seating in the base theater. After the base commander heard her arguments, he issued an order banning segregation on the base. A month later Anna Mac Clarke died of a ruptured appendix. She was only 24, but in her short life she had made a difference.
Anna Mac Clarke is portrayed by Haley S. Bowling, who grew up in Jackson County. Bowling has a strong interest in research and historic reenactment. She believes Anna Mac Clarke’s compelling story needs to be more widely known. Bowling is a student at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky.
Kentucky Chautauqua is an exclusive presentation of the Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc. with state wide support from the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels and funding from the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, Peoples Bank and Trust Company of Hazard, Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, Brown-Forman Corporation, Union College in Barbourville and Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. Locally the presentation is supported by the Hayswood Foundation and the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center.
For further information about the free performance contact the Museum Center at 606.564.5865.