LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — We now know what Lexington's newest middle school will be named when it opens in two years.
Monday night, the Fayette County School Board said they want to name the school, currently being built along Polo Club Boulevard, after Mary E. Britton, Kentucky's first Black female physician.
You might be wondering, who was Mary E. Britton? School board member Marilyn Clark described her as a "hidden figure" in history.
Britton was born in 1855 in what is now Lexington's Gratz Park Historic District. According to Berea College, Britton's parents were born free African Americans. Britton and her sister Julia attended school in Louisville.
An article from Berea College says, "Although she grew up as a free individual, she and her siblings still experienced and witnessed the racial discrimination and inequality toward Black Americans. Nevertheless, she and her siblings received the best education one could ask for in Kentucky."
Britton attended Berea College, taught music at the school, and studied medicine in Chicago and Tennessee. In 1902, she became the first Black woman in Lexington licensed to practice medicine. She specialized in hydrotherapy and electrotherapy and made healthcare accessible for African Americans.
Britton was also a suffragist and civil rights leader. She established the Ladies Orphans' Home Society and the Colored Orphan Industrial Home in Lexington.
Britton's family members were also successful. Her sister Julia was a member of the Memphis branch of the NAACP, and her brother Tom was a talented jockey. He won the Kentucky Oaks in 1891 on Miss Hawkins and placed second in the Derby the following year, racing on Huron.
Mary Britton died in 1925 at 70 and was buried in Cove Haven Cemetery. Almost one century since her death, FCPS board members say it's time Britton is widely recognized.
"We often discount the women, particularly the Black women, who were on the ground doing that advocacy work in our communities, so very powerful story," said board chair Tyler Murphy.
Board members will vote on the name on September 11th. The school is expected to be completed in June 2025.
