An Amazing Legacy
Grandchildren of UK’s First Black Graduate Follow in Barrier-Breaking Footsteps By Lindsey Piercy
W
e all want to leave our mark on this world — to know that our life mattered. But how can one create a legacy? To put it simply, a legacy is passed from one generation to the next and often refers to gifts of money or property. But leaving a lasting impact is about actions — the ones you take and the way they affect how people remember you. “When I looked at her, I saw a hero — like she was some type of superstar,” said Taylor Morton. As children, our heroes were often the classic characters we enviously watched on Saturday morning cartoons. But for as long as they can remember, twins Taylor and Tyler Morton’s version of a hero was far more realistic. “My grandmother knocked down barriers and overpowered hate with love,” Tyler said. “Many are unaware of her legacy. She was very humble — she wasn’t one to brag or want recognition.” To those who didn’t know her, Mary Henderson ’50 ED may have appeared ordinary — a hardworking woman, loving wife and mother, and proud grandmother. But what she accomplished nearly 70 years ago was quite extraordinary. Her family wants to make sure that story doesn’t go untold.
LIMITED OPTIONS It was the summer of 1949, and when it came to work, Black women in the South often had two options — domestic service or agriculture. “Both meant arduous labor for tiny paychecks. Most Black men didn’t make much more, and Black women’s paid labor was necessary to most families,” explained Anastasia Curwood, director of African American and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky. “However, for a subset of Black women, entering the teaching profession was an avenue to higher wages.” While it was an era of segregated schools, there were teaching jobs available to Black women. Those who pursued those opportunities would have been educated at historically Black colleges. Henderson was one of those aspiring women. In 1949, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Kentucky State College (now Kentucky State University). Henderson dared to dream bigger than the barriers placed in front of her, so she didn’t stop at one degree.
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K E N TUCKY A LU MN I MAG A ZIN E Summer 2022
The photo image of Mary Ann Henderson is provided with permission and at the Courtesy of Kentucky State University Special Collections and Archives. The image comes from the 1949 Kentucky State College Graduation Collage held at the Paul G. Blazer Library, Kentucky State University, Frankfort, Kentucky. As a result of Lyman T. Johnson’s lawsuit, the University of Kentucky had started the integration process that same year. Henderson became one of more than 30 Black students to enroll in classes that summer — all of which were graduate students. (UK wasn’t open to Black undergraduates until five years later in 1954.) In 1950, Henderson did the unprecedented - earned her master’s degree from the College of Education and became the first Black student to graduate from UK. “By being the first Black woman to seek her degree at the formerly segregated UK, Henderson was a barrier-breaker and path-paver,” Curwood said. “She made it possible for the thousands of Black women who have been educated here since.” It was a moment etched in history. That year, Henderson opened a door that had long been shut — a door her grandchildren Tyler and Taylor would walk through seven decades later. “She graduated with honors. The same teachers that didn’t want to call on her to speak in class had no choice but to give A’s, because she was so intelligent,” Tyler said. “There is pride in knowing my grandmother paved the way for me to be able to raise my hand in a class where I’m the minority and express my views.”
MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION In the years following graduation, Henderson became a teacher in Cynthiana, Kentucky, then in Lexington. She retired in 1989 but continued to pass her wisdom on to Taylor and Tyler. “My grandmother was strong, intelligent and vibrant with the sweetest heart. She was my motivation and inspiration,” Tyler
