FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — P.G. Peeples, the president of the Lexington Urban League and a longtime civil rights activist, died Tuesday night at the age of 80. His death has left scores of heartbroken community members mourning the loss of a leader whose impact will be hard to replicate.
Peeples dedicated his career to bringing the community together and improving the lives of people in underserved communities, with affordable housing solutions at the top of his priority list.
Mario Radford, who teaches and leads the choir department at Kentucky State University and organizes Lexington's annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast, said he knew Peeples for almost 30 years. In 2023, Radford made sure Peeples was honored at the event.
"I'm so glad, because sometimes we think people know their impact. It's nice to thank them when they can hear it," Radford said.
Radford described Peeples as a mentor to many in the area and reflected on what made him such a unifying force.
"I think his gift was to see through all of it. To see beyond the race or background of a person. To see what are the things that unite us and what are the things we all care about," Radford said.
Radford said that whoever is chosen to fill Peeples' role at the Urban League will not face an insurmountable challenge, because of the foundation Peeples built.
"We as a community will rally around the next person to say, 'at least you don't have to start from scratch.' We had a very good example," Radford said.
