Episode 10. Raoul Cunningham – President, Louisville NAACP
Raoul Cunningham has always been passionate about equality and making our system work.
Raoul is currently president of Louisville’s NAACP chapter, the same organization where he started his civil rights career at age 14 in the mid-1950s.
Raoul went from helping with voter registration to taking part in nonviolent direct action, picketing a Louisville theater on behalf of black students who wanted to see “Porgy & Bess.” He later recruited other young activists, and together they picketed local lunch counters where African-Americans weren’t served.
His civil rights work continued as a student at Howard University. Raoul served on U.S. Senator Walter Huddleston’s staff, working on issues that included civil rights legislation and the Martin Luther King Holiday Bill. Returning home to Louisville, Raoul served as manager for Georgia Davis Power’s successful Kentucky senate campaign.
Cunningham is the winner of the 2006 Martin Luther King Freedom Award.