Louisville wouldn't be what it is today without Black people who established some of the city's most historic neighborhoods, fought for equal rights alongside prominent national figures and contributed to the community's deep-rooted culture.Below are six stories of people and moments that shaped Louisville's history.To explore more, visit the University of Louisville Oral History Center, the Filson Historical Society, Roots 101 African-American Museum, the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage and the Muhammad Ali Center.More:Celebrate Black History Month by looking back on Kentucky history makersTwo enslaved Black men present at Louisville's foundingCato Watts, a fiddler, and Caesar, a carpenter, were two enslaved men brought to Louisville by early settlers in the 1770s, according to the Encyclopedia of Louisville.By 1810, enslaved African Americans made up 36% of the city's population, according to University of Louisville research. And by the 1840s, domestic slave trading thrived along the Ohio River, with slave pens located in the old downtown area of the city.After the Civil War, freed Black residents established several communities that remain an important piece of Louisville's fabric today, including Smoketown, Limerick, Petersburg and Berrytown.Read more:More:The traffic signal and corded bed: 8 Black inventors you didn't know were from KentuckyBlack jockey rides first Kentucky Derby winner across finish lineIn 1875, Oliver Lewis, a Black man born into slavery, rode Aristides to victory in what would become known as the Kentucky Derby.Lewis is one of several prominent Black jockeys who participated in the early years of the race. (Of the first 28 winning jockeys in the Derby, 15 were Black.)But by the early 1900s, those same Black equestrians were forced out of racing by Jim Crow laws that enforced segregation. More than 100 years later, Black jockeys remain a rarity in the sport.Read more:Martin Luther King Jr. part of local civil rights fightIn the 1950s and '60s, Martin Luther King Jr. visited Louisville several times to encourage voting and advocate for policies that would end segregation.In 1964, he and Jackie Robinson led a march of 10,000 people to the state Capitol in Frankfort, following the 1963 March on Washington.In 1965, his brother, A.D. Williams King, moved to Louisville as a minister at Zion Baptist Church. And in 1967, the siblings led protests against unfair housing practices that culminated in a boycott of the Kentucky Derby.That same year, King met Louisville native Muhammad Ali publicly for the first and only time. Though both men were influential in fighting human rights battles, they disagreed on some key issues and had a complex relationship.Read more:More:The first time I met Martin Luther King Jr., I knew I could follow him anywhereHigh school students help force integration at Louisville businessesIn 1961, Black students from Central and Male high schools organized months of pickets and sit-ins at downtown businesses that refused to let them eat, try on clothes or watch moves alongside white customers.The teens' actions led nearly 200 businesses to integrate within six months. And in 1963, the city's mayor signed an ordinance granting equal access to all public accommodations — a year before federal protections were put in place."It was pretty exciting, that's the way I remember it," said Beverly Neal Watkins, who participated in the protests. "You felt like you were doing something good."'Black Six' put on trial for 1968 rebellionIn 1968, Louisville officials accused six Black people of orchestrating a racial uprising in the Parkland neighborhood, during which dozens of businesses were burglarized and set aflame.The defendants — known as the Black Six — each were charged with conspiring to destroy private and public property. And for two years, their lives were in limbo as they awaited trial.In summer 1970, a judge threw the case out of court. But by then, it had already left a permanent mark on Louisville's history, a reminder of the ways the city repeatedly fought to quiet Black dissent.Read more:Breonna Taylor protests draw international outrageIn March 2020, Louisville police officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, while serving a "no-knock" search warrant at her apartment as part of a narcotics investigation.After audio of a 911 call made by Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, on the night of her death was released, thousands took to Louisville's streets in protest, demanding officers involved in the shooting be fired and arrested.Daily marches and demonstrations continued for more than four months, with protesters using Jefferson Square Park downtown as a home base.Protesters globally invoked Taylor's name, along with George Floyd's, while marching in other cities through the summer. And in Louisville, demonstrators added two more names to their chants after restaurant owner David McAtee and photographer Tyler Gerth were killed.Read more:Still want to dive deeper? Here are more stories and videos to bookmark:Hayes Gardner and Savannah Eadens contributed to this report.Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at [email protected], 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: https://www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

Citizens around Louisville hosted marches and peaceful protests Sunday afternoon in the aftermath of the release of body cam footage from the altercation that led to the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, a Black man killed by the Memphis Police Department during a traffic stop earlier this month.Several dozen people marched from the corner of Baxter Avenue and Broadway to Mid-City Mall on Bardstown Road and more gathered at Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville to call for police reform and for members of the community to start looking out for each other in the wake of Nichols' death.Who was Tyre Nichols?:Video shows police kicking, pepper spraying, beating Tyre Nichols after traffic stopAmber Brown, who organized the Baxter Avenue march, led the chant "no justice, no peace," echoing protests held during 2020 after the murder of Breonna Taylor. Protestors took up an entire lane of traffic on the busy street, carrying signs that read "Tyre Nichols: From Louisville to Memphis to the world" and "Louisville stands with Memphis" as they marched."Another Black man has been killed by police ... we have been out here fighting for justice for so long," Brown said. "And yet, once again, it's slapped in our face that no one cares."The body cam footage released Friday shows officers shouting expletives while using pepper spray and a Taser on Nichols during the Jan. 7 traffic stop, who at times called out for his mother. Police struck Nichols in the face, torso and head at least 13 times while being physically restrained by other officers.The beating, which has been widely condemned by other members of the law enforcement community, left Nichols hospitalized. He died three days later.Five Black officers involved in the beating have since been fired from the department and charged with several crimes connected to the death, including second-degree murder, according to USA TODAY reports.Brown said even though she hadn't watched the video of Nichols' murder, it was still important to march in the streets."We have to continue to make sure that people know that we're not going to leave. We haven't stopped," she said. "Throughout all of this, the work has never stopped."'We're tired'At the gathering in Jefferson Square Park, many of those who took the stage said it was time for widespread reform not just in Memphis, but in other cities, including Louisville.Dennisha Rivers, founder of Vision of Life Outreach Ministries, said she organized Sunday's vigil because she felt it was time to bring the community together to do something different to curb violence."It's time to restore, rebuild and reeducate, because apparently, we're doing something wrong and our system is doing something wrong," she said.Jamie McAtee, the brother of David McAtee, who was killed by law enforcement officers at his West End restaurant in 2020, said the video was difficult to watch, but is proof more work needs to be done."Here we are three years later, after ... so much has happened, we're tired," he said. "We're tired of being out here on the streets and trying to get some change. We're tired of saying 'we want peace' ... how long do we have to keep having peaceful protests to be heard?"Rivers said she's been in touch with members of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg's administration who have been supportive of efforts to bring the community together to talk."They are very supportive and encouraging of what I did because we're just trying to make a difference," she said.Ray Barker, a retired Louisville Metro Police officer, said while he applauds Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis for taking immediate action regarding the officers, he said it will take more compassion among neighbors to start making a difference."(Speaking) as a Black person that still lives in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Louisville, please take this opportunity to evaluate our community," he said. "Stop living in fear. ... Step out on faith and open the door to see what's going on in your community."Some residents call for returning power to communitiesOther marchers, like Maxwell Mitchell, said one solution to overcoming police violence is putting "the power in community." By diverting money from police institutions, he said, and putting money toward people working on the ground, it can make changes in communities.Mitchell said communities can be just as powerful as institutions, like the police, because of trust."I know the people in my community. I'm friends with them. I'm neighbors with them. We say hi to each other and whatnot," he said. "If there's an infraction, something that happens, in my opinion, we have the best chance to deescalate the situation, to be there for one another, because we're right there."Antonio Brown, another marcher as Sunday's protest, said the fact the officers were Black reflects how embedded white supremacy is in policing."If it was a white man, these Black officers wouldn't have done it," he said.Brown called for an end to qualified immunity — a legal principle that prevents state and local officials, including law enforcement, from lawsuits alleging someone's constitutional rights have been violated, except in cases where the violation is clear — to better hold police officers accountable.Weekend editor Keisha Rowe contributed. Contact reporter Rae Johnson at [email protected]. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.