Carl Braden Memorial Center

Since 1969, the Carl Braden Memorial Center has hosted meetings of the Kentucky Alliance against Racist and Political Repression, S.C.E.F. (Southern Conference Education Fund), progressive lawyers law offices, S.N.C.C. (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee), the original Black Panther Party, anti-war activists and GI’s opposing the war in Vietnam, tenants unions, African Americans and whites who opposed the racial hysteria that accompanied the desegregation of public schools, and many, many more.

Carl, along with his wife Anne Braden, was a tireless warrior in the battles fought by all these groups, believing deeply that the struggle to subvert racism had to be central to any progressive social change. Carl was convinced that as a white American he bore a special responsibility to oppose white supremacy and racial hierarchy. This conviction carried Carl and Anne, over the course of decades, into a wide range of work. In addition to helping groups that met at the center, the Bradens notably marshaled support for labor unions, produced informative and critical publications, and organized defiant demonstrations. Through it all, Carl and Anne consistently helped to bridge the racial divide in Louisville, mentoring generations of anti-racist youth.

The building that currently houses the Braden Center was donated in order to sustain Carl and Anne’s work of promoting justice in Louisville and the world at large. When Carl died in 1975, Anne named the center in his memory.

In the wake of Anne’s death in 2006, the Boards of Directors of the Carl Braden Memorial Center and the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression have committed themselves to sustaining the Braden legacy by insuring that the center will be around for many years to come, serving community groups, progressive organizations, and youth fighting for change here and abroad.

Help the Braden Center continue to provide a place where people come together across lines of race, class, age, nationality, language, religion, ability, sexuality, and gender to build justice for ALL people.