The West Louisville First Coalition Demands:

1. We are calling upon Star Energy to fulfill its promise to donate the Schenley Distillery Building located at 822 South 15th Street, to Simmons College of Kentucky. Simmons College is the oldest and only private HBCU in the state of Kentucky. Together with Kentucky State University, Simmons will develop initiatives to close the educational achievement gap that exist between West and East Louisville. According to Louisville Magazine, there is a "eight fold advantage the east area has over the west in college-educated adults."

2. We are calling upon Star energy to fulfill the promise to donate one million dollars to Simmons. College for the renovation of the Schenley Distillery building. Since this is PRIVATE funds and not public, Mayor Greg Fischer should not seek to control, manage, reroute or redirect PRIVATE funds that was intended for Simmons, a private, underfunded historic black institution that has been serving Louisville's black community since the 19th century!

3. We are calling upon Heaven Hill to, fulfill its promise to donate $ 250,000 to the West Louisville Foundation. The West Louisville 'Foundation will be controlled by historic, independent black organizations that reflect: black concerns, black culture, black control and the black community.

4. We are calling upon all colleges in the Louisville Metro to develop an articulation agreement with Simmons College of Kentucky based on the one that presently exist between Simmons and the University of Louisville. If U of L will allow Simmons students to transfer 64 credit hours, the other colleges should do so as well.  

5. We are calling upon all colleges and universities in the city of Louisville to help close the black-white educational achievement gap in Louisville Metro through the development of a special version of Metroversity. Simmons College students should be provided access to libraries, academic credit transfer, and free TARC as students attending other colleges and universities throughout the city.

6. We are calling upon the Mayor and the city council to make West Louisville the number one priority for the location of government agencies and the Veterans Hospital.

7. We are calling upon all elected officials who serve the black community, to be less concerned about the advancement of the Democratic Party and more concerned about the advancement of West Louisville. It is the responsibility of our black elected officials to PUBLICLY advocate for public and private funds for the development of West Louisville. Additionally it is the responsibility of our black elected officials to expose to black voters ALL political parties who fail to act in West Louisville's best interest.

8. We are calling upon the business community to end immediately, philanthropic discrimination. If private resources can be generated to develop other predominately white controlled foundations, then these same resources should be generated to advance the West Louisville Foundation.

9. We are calling upon the east end faith community to partner with the West Louisville churches and organizations that empower West Louisville residents. This partnership should not be paternalistic nor should it foster dependency. Instead it should be a partnership patterned after the Southeast Christian/Bates Memorial Baptist Church partnership created in the 90s by Dr. F. Bruce Williams and the Reverend Bob Russell. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:1, "those who are strong should bear the infirmities of the weak and NOT JUST PLEASE YOURSELF".

10. We are calling upon the black community to major in excellence and not excuses. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "If you are behind in a race, you must run faster or remain behind. And society must provide people the resources to catch up. We are calling upon the black community to help black kids run faster by making our collective community goal, black kids reading above grade level by the third grade. In addition, we are calling upon the JCPS school board and the JCTA to be aggressive in black teacher recruitment, flexible/creative in teaching methodology and open to new models and structures. We highly recommend the Carter G. Woodson academy model in Lexington, KY.

11. We are calling upon West Louisville churches in partnership with East Louisville churches to develop a seven day a week ministry that provides tutorial, recreational and social skills development for kids in West Louisville.

12. We are calling upon parents in West Louisville to practice "old school" parenting, through the infusion of values that promote moral excellence, social and racial consciousness, educational achievement and HIGH respect for those in authority who have proven themselves worthy of such respect.