LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — If you want to immerse yourself in Black history this month, you don't have to go far. VisitLex has free walking tours throughout the city.
Yvonne Giles was one of the historians the organization partnered with in 2017 to make it happen. It's still in existence, and there are expansion plans this year.
"These are stories most people have not heard about, so that's why we do this," said Giles.
On Monday, Giles, well-known as the "Cemetery Lady," showed LEX 18 around the path, stopping at a few locations she wanted to highlight.
"The African Americans that we've featured helped develop the community," said Giles.
As the first African American woman elected to the La Grange city council, Giles can best be described as not only living history but also a living history book. Most of her shared stories were from her extensive memory and personal research.
"Everybody asks me, 'How do you remember all that?' And I don't know. I don't even think about it. It just sticks with me, and I say it," she laughed.
Giles is one of the leaders preserving the history and integrity of African cemetery number 2 and says she enjoys tracking and uncovering black stories in often overlooked places.
"They find me and I don't ignore them," said Giles.
There are 11 formal stops with signage on the downtown tour with information about people and places that helped build Lexington. Giles says there would be even more stops on the tour with more funding.
One of her favorite history stories is of Charlotte Dupuy, whom Henry Clay enslaved for years despite fighting to be free.
"She just wanted her freedom. She didn't want to spend her life as a slave, so she sued Henry Clay," said Giles. "Henry Clay calls the sheriff to pick her up and put her in jail."
It's history that's been in plain view across the city since 2018. However, people still walk by unknowingly every day.
"They're all out there and you just have to read it," said Giles.
She lives by the ethical principle that "you can't celebrate what you don't know" and "Black history should be celebrated throughout the year."
"You do it any day of the year, any time of the year, because African American history is every day," said Giles.
