I was born in Texas but call Kentucky home. I loved growing up with my parents and siblings. I was the 5th of 6 children. My parents did not have an opportunity to finish high school. They maybe finished 8th grade before they had to go to work but they always had high expectations for each of us. Getting a good education in public schools was our path to economic mobility and a better life. My siblings and I graduated from college. Several of us have multiple degrees, and my big sister was the first in the family to get her doctorate degree. In 2016, I went back to school to get my MBA. I dropped my son off for his first year of college and started at the University of Kentucky the same week. At that point, I was in school and so were both my children.

My parents are my heroes. My Mom cleaned homes and later got a job as a daycare worker. She loved children. My Dad worked as a gas station attendant and later in a machine shop. Witnessing their hard work and their faith in God, influenced my life, my work ethic and my faith. 

As a young man, my Dad served in the Army. When he returned home, he married my Mom. He migrated from East Texas to the oil fields of West Texas to find work and a better life for his family. He found a job and sent for my Mom and then two children. At a time when Blacks were finding stumbling blocks to getting GI home loans, my Dad got his benefits and bought a new house in a neighborhood and my older siblings were the first Black children to integrate an elementary school. I learned later that my family received bomb threats and were asked to leave. However, my Dad in his quiet, strong spirit stood his ground and we stayed. I learned our story from a German teacher, who taught most of my siblings, the Greene children. The principal visited our home and people from the school walked my siblings to school and back home at the end of the day I wasn’t in school then, but I am very proud of how courageous my parents and siblings were. 

Education was important in our household. We always had new copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Reading the shiny new pages fascinated me. When I was five-years old, my sister drove me to the public library where I discovered a room with chairs and shelves just my size. I fell in love with books and writing. Once, I won candy bars in school for writing the most creative stories. I graduated at the top of my high school class and majored in Journalism and Broadcasting in college.

My career in television broadcasting took me to the Dallas, Philadelphia, and Birmingham markets and eventually to Lexington where I was the first African American female to serve as the Vice President, Station Manager of WLEX-TV. That career required a lot of travel all over the country. What I learned during  that journey is that some other communities were not doing as well economically. As I look back now, I realize those were also places that did not value public P-12 education. Eventually, I left broadcasting and started a successful business and now work with businesses every day. I understand the connection between good public education and strong businesses and prosperous communities.

My two adult children are graduates of Fayette County Public Schools. I also worked for FCPS for over five years. I have a unique perspective on what we need to do to move the district forward. Education transformed my life and will continue to enrich my family for generations to come. 

In January 2023, I was sworn in as the first Black female to serve on our school board since the integration of public schools. As a current school board member, I am committed to put children first, provide equitable opportunities for all students, to listen and have compassion in our relationships with teachers, parents, and staff. Furthermore, I remain community-focused, because we can’t do this important work alone. Together we accomplish more.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my story. VOTE for Marilyn Clark, November 7, School Board District 1.