Ed Powe’s legacy: Family, community, activism

Reproduced with permission from The State Journal, July 28 edition.

With word on Friday that Ed Powe, a pillar of Frankfort’s community, passed away at the age of 78, those who knew him took the time to reflect on his legacy and the work he did to lay the groundwork for a more equitable future for all.

According to City Commissioner Katrisha Waldridge, Powe was “a man with such grace, integrity, vision and a heart of gold. A man that never needed an introduction because his presence was powerful. He was a giant in many ways in our community and for me over the past few years. He lived every day for justice, equality, inclusivity and love and honor for the community.”

Mayor Layne Wilkerson said, "The loss of Ed Powe leaves a void in our community that is hard to fill. His influence was both deep and wide. He challenged us to be better, and to think more deeply about those around us. Through his founding of the Focus on Race Relations, he pushed Frankfort to have honest, face-to-face conversations about race related issues.

"I will always be grateful for his thoughtful, and thought provoking, leadership. As a friend, I will miss his counsel. Natalie and I extend our deepest sympathy to the entire Powe family."

Longtime friend and former colleague Steve Mason met Powe over 45 years ago and was a close friend to the end.

“I will always remember him as a proactive person in all things positive — someone who was a doer rather than just a talker. He was a community leader that will be missed in the Frankfort community.”

Born in Canton, Ohio, Powe proudly served in the U.S. Army in the late 60s and early 70s before joining Sears and Roebuck near their Chicago headquarters.

Along with his late wife, Jan, and daughter, Kristie, he moved to Frankfort in 1980, where he first became a familiar face to many local residents as the general manager of the former Sears store in Eastwood Shopping Center. He spent eight years there before joining the staff at Kentucky State University as Director of Educational Outreach.

Kentucky State University released a statement on Powe’s passing.

“Throughout his tenure at Kentucky State University, Ed demonstrated unwavering dedication, tirelessly working to bridge the gap between the university and the local community. His passion for education was evident in every project he spearheaded, ensuring that all students had access to resources and opportunities that would help shape their futures.During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with Ed's family and friends. May they find solace in the cherished memories and the profound impact he had on so many lives.”

Powe finally retired from KSU in 2002, but his work didn’t stop.

He advocated tirelessly for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in countless aspects of Frankfort life, and also worked to ensure that future generations would know about the struggles of racism and inequality from the past to today.

In 2017, Powe and Rev. Scott Rollins co-founded Focus on Race Relations (FORR), a nonprofit organization that has been facilitating education and empowerment across the community, offering free training for city and county school staff as well as working with city and county governments on DEI initiatives.

Describing FORR’s inception, Powe once explained, “We’ve got some big problems not only here in Frankfort but in the nation and it’s starting to come to the forefront. You can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing about race relations. If we don’t do anything about it, we’re going to have big problems. We haven’t been this divided since the Civil War.”

As President of FORR, Powe helped organize the community’s first ever Juneteenth celebration in 2022, a three-day event that encompassed multiple events around town, including a 5K race, family festival, and even a movie night at the Grand Theatre. The organization also regularly hosted candidate forums for local and state races, asking candidates openly and honestly to discuss issues of race and equity today.

According to Powe, “the organization is a diverse group of members raising attention to race relations in Frankfort. We want to have open and honest conversations.”

Powe was the force behind the recognition of multiple important historical sites around Frankfort, including the memorial to lynching victims Marshall Boston and John Maxey at the Singing Bridge, as well as the historic marker honoring Mr. Taylor's Barber Shop on East Main Street, across from the KSU campus.

In a 2022 Newsmaker of the Year profile, he was asked about the future of FORR going forward after his resignation as president in January of this year, with his daughter Kristie stepping into the role.

“She’s been a godsend,” Powe said. “She’s a ball of fire, has a great personality, is smart, intelligent. It’s time for the young people to step up and take charge. I’ve got good chairs of our standing committees, so the organization is in great shape.

“These old bones are getting a little weary.”

In a 2019 profile in FRANK Magazine, he was asked what he saw for the future of Frankfort. He said then, “Frankfort needs positive change. It’s a great place. We have so many underutilized assets and we just seem to be maintaining the status quo. Things seem to be growing around us and we don’t seem to be growing that much. We need more dynamic leadership and full utilization of all the assets we have.”

Powe blazed a whole list of trails in Frankfort. He was the first Black president of the Frankfort/Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, where he helped to implement the original “Frankfort First'' shopping initiative.

Powe and his wife were the first people of color invited to join the Frankfort Country Club, where he was instrumental in dismantling the system of “blackballing” membership applications.

He was also a force for change throughout the region, serving on the Lexington Transit (LEXTRAN) Board of Directors, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, and was named the NAACP’s Man of the Year. He was also active in local politics, managing more than a dozen successful campaigns, and was a key figure in the Frankfort Kiwanis Club.

Edward Fields, the Staff Regent for the KSU Board of Regents, lauded Powe as “an extraordinary individual who was not only a beacon of hope and inspiration, but also a driving force behind positive change in our community.”

“We have lost a giant with some big shoes to fill, however, with Ed as an angel above I know his legacy will live on and that he will keep pushing me and others to continue his work and the work for our Frankfort community,” Waldridge said, echoing the feelings of many.

“Ed will be missed greatly and will be loved eternally forever by me and our Frankfort community.”

“If you’re not happy at home or the place you work, you’re not going to be a happy individual,” Powe said in his 2019 FRANK profile. “The community has to support those who live in the community and vice versa. I’ve always been interested to see what I could bring and how I could help the community. I’ve been involved in a lot of things. It gives me a good feeling.”

It is that “good feeling” and all the wonderful memories and support of the community that will be considered Powe’s greatest and most powerful legacy.

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FORR In the News

The end of our nation's great injustice': FORR hosts several events to recognize Juneteenth

By Hannah Brown | The State Journal • June 20, 2022

By June 19, 2023, Gov. Andy Beshear is hoping to make Juneteenth a state holiday. The holiday is already recognized federally. “I'm going to keep pushing for it to be a state holiday,” Beshear said during the Juneteenth Celebration at Lakeview Park Saturday. The celebration was part of four days of events for the holiday that marks the day in 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that enslaved people were freed — 2½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the U.S. and is widely considered to be the longest-running African American holiday in the country. “It’s a day where we stand united in acknowledging the end of our nation's great injustice, though it took about six more months for it to happen in Kentucky,” Beshear said. “But, it’s still a day we celebrate the strength and courage of African Americans and the contributions they have made to our country and to this commonwealth. “Today is also a day that we acknowledge that we have a long way to go to true equality not just here in the commonwealth, but all over the country.” The Juneteenth celebrations, hosted by Focus On Race Relations–Frankfort (FORR), began Friday evening with a race where more than 80 people participated. Angela Eldridge, who performs communications for FORR, said that 72 informational signs depicting African American history in Franklin County lined the walking path at Lakeview Park that participants viewed along their race. “It was a joyful occasion,” Eldridge said. Saturday’s event at Lakeview Park included vendors, food trucks, a bounce house, train and obstacle race for kids, a silent auction, scavenger hunt and more. During the event, Beshear was also on hand to announce the winners of the FORR essay contest. Anna Quarles won the contest and received a $2,500 scholarship; Varshitha Ramesh placed second and received a $1,250 scholarship; Lucy Cunningham placed third and received a $1,000 scholarship; and Cadence Hamilton placed fourth and received a $750 scholarship. “If these youth are the leaders of our future, we’re in good hands,” Ed Powe, president of FORR, said about the essay contest winners. Irma Johnson, from the Kentucky State University College of Agriculture, was working an activity booth where attendees painted Juneteenth artwork. “This event is about the entire community recognizing the importance of Juneteenth,” Johnson said. “Some people would look at you and say, ‘what does Juneteenth mean?’ It’s so relevant. Taking the time out to recognize it is important.” During the event, Mary Ashcraft Watts, a member of FORR, approached Powe and thanked him for organizing the event. “It helps those of us who are less aware of the importance to our African American community,” Ashcraft Watts said. Powe was pleased with the turnout of the event. “The crowds have been having a good time and I’m glad all these volunteers have come out and set up things for kids and are making it educational, as well as fun,” Powe said. “One of the main things is that we want to increase the level of awareness of race-related issues and have it be fun and educational at the same time. “We are better together — which is our slogan. This event is actual proof of that.” Powe said money raised during the Juneteenth events will benefit FORR and it’s many causes, one being a scholarship for a local student next year who plans to attend KSU and major in education. Saturday evening, a Juneteenth Forum took place at the Kentucky Historical Society where a panel discussed local race-related issues in Franklin County and Frankfort Independent schools. The conversation mainly centered on what was discussed in a student forum that was held Wednesday, June 15. Noel McCutchen, Allie Douglas, Katima Smith-Willis and Natalee Cleveland served on the panel, which was led by Kristie Powe, vice president of FORR. During the student forum, the “n-word pass” was discussed. Some of the panelists were not aware of the “n-word pass” in schools where white students receive a pass from their Black friends to say the n-word. “I was shocked that was something going on,” Cleveland said. “I couldn’t imagine giving the pass or hearing it. It’s horrible for someone to want that pass.” Smith-Willis, who graduated in 2014, said she had heard of the pass when she was in school. “For the white kid receiving the pass, it’s for popularity purposes,” Smith-Willis said. “The ‘n-word pass’ is the most ignorant thing I could think of.” A lot of the discussion was about the school districts disciplinary policies for racist and discriminatory acts. Cleveland said there should be a zero-tolerance policy for using racial slurs in school. “It should be laid out as to what happens if your child uses this language,” Cleveland said. Cleveland’s daughter, who attends Second Street School, was recently called the n-word and she said the principal addressed it immediately and disciplinary action was taken. But, she feels those actions need to be clearly written in a school handbook that parents need to be aware of and sign off on. Panelists also brought up the fact that a lot of racist incidents happen after school hours and often on social media. “The schools should hold their students accountable even off school property,” Smith-Willis said. Douglas talked about an incident where a group of kids were recorded on FaceTime talking about wanting to hurt a group of kids and then started screaming the n-word. She and Kristie Powe took the video to school administrators. "Was the situation handled? Yes,” Douglas said. “Am I satisfied with the way it was handled? Not really, because they didn't really address the racist issue. They ignored that the kids were screaming the n-word. I feel like a lot more should have been done.” McCutchen, a mother of bi-racial children, thinks that some kids who complain about having racist acts made against them are being labeled as hypersensitive by school staff. “We as white people say, ‘that was bad but get over it,’ and when the kids make a big deal about it, they’re being hypersensitive,” McCutchen said. “In the solution, I’d like to see teachers trained and educated so they’re not labeling students. These kids are leaving the schools needing to heal.” Smith-Willis said she hasn’t seen much change in race-related issues in Frankfort’s schools over time, but she is hopeful. “We’re headed in the right direction,” Smith-Willis said. “As long as we keep progressing, we can make that change in Frankfort.” Kristie Powe was pleased with the discussion that took place during the forum Saturday night. “The conversation has started, and it’s not going to end,” she said. “The student forum taught us that they want to have this conversation and they want to be heard by adults.” On Sunday, an Old-Time Community Picnic where international artist Darryl Van Leer performed a reenactment of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speeches took place behind the Capitol on the lawn. Leer will also perform reenactments and offer his perspectives on the Juneteenth holiday at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Paul Sawyier Public Library.