Before the days of integration, African-American students in
Hazard attended one of two schools, the Liberty School or a
local boarding school. These institutions were often underfunded
and utilized hand-me-down books and supplies, yet out of this
many of the students have gone on to achieve success in life,
and think fondly of their time at Liberty. Dozens of former
students from Liberty School came out to remember their school,
their experiences, and their classmates during a reunion on
Saturday. Every two years the former students get together at
the Liberty School monument on Liberty Street. The monument
itself was designed by one of the former students, James “JC”
Collins, who said that it means a lot to him to return and
reunite with with other former students. The Liberty Street
school was built as part of the Work Progress Administration in
1936. The administration was created by President Franklin
Roosevelt to put Americans back to work after the Great
Depression, and would be responsible for buildin