Archie Louis Lacey was born in 1923 in Boothton Alabama, a small coal mining town 30 miles outside of Birmingham.   As a child, he made a daily 66 mile round trip to and from his segregated elementary school, passing 3 "white only" schools on his long commute.  In 1940, Lacey graduated as valedictorian of his high school and entered Alabama State Teacher's College.  Temporarily interrupting his studies, Lacey volunteered for the US Army and served in the Engineer Corps until 1948.  Following his service in the Army, Lacey completed his Bachelor's degree and entered Howard University as a special graduate student in chemistry.  Lacey next entered North Western University to pursue a masters and doctorate degree in Education.

Upon receiving his PhD in Science Education, Lacey returned to Alabama State College as a Professor of Science.There in Montgomery, Lacey reconnected with his friend and fraternity brother, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Shortly there after, Lacey met and married Theodora Smiley.  Together they helped to organize and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  Lacey, who helped with boycott planning and strategy was responsible for communication with the press and helped organize a car pooling system that enabled hundreds of people to get to and from work.  Following the successful boycott, Lacey and his wife contributed to a national study on voter discrimination, by traveling throughout the state of Alabama collecting voting records.  Those findings, which documented Alabamba's voting disparities, served as part of the body of evidence used to bring about sweeping voting rights legislation around the nation.

In 1957, Lacey was invited to join the faculty of Grambling College in Louisiana, where he served as Professor of Physical Science.  Following 3 years at Grambling College, Lacey was asked to join the faculty of Hunter College in New York City, where he became the first Black Male to receive Tenure.

In 1961, Lacey and his young family moved to Teaneck, N.J., a predominately white suburb of New York.  There he and his wife were instrumental in a movement to integrate the Teaneck school system.  In fact, Teaneck became the first community in the nation's history to voluntarily integrate its school system.  Lacey's oldest child was one of the original of handful Black children to be bused in to Teaneck's all white schools.  In addition to the integration movement, Lacey remained involved in the struggle for racial and social justice.  He served as campaign manager for Teaneck's first Black Deputy Mayor, Isaac G. McNatt and was instrumental in rallying town council support for the town's first Black Mayor, Bernard Brooks.  Lacey also helped to organize bus loads of New Jersey citizens to participate in both the March on Washington of 1963 and of 1983.  Of the many struggles waged and contributions he made, one of Lacey's most significant achievements was the prominent role he played in lobbying and advising Senator Bill Bradley on the incorporation of Martin Luther King's birthday into an official State Holiday.

Up until the event of his untimely death in 1986, Lacey remained committed to freedom, justice and equality, spending his last few years as a dedicated anti-war activist, community leader, educator, family man, neighbor and church member.  Thus it is only fitting that his church, the Central Unitarian Church, has honored him and his vision by establishing the Archie L. Lacey endowment - which has developed and funded Teens Talk about Racism (TTAR).  Dr. Lacey was passionate about racial justice and equally passionate about young people.  He was a firm believer in youth and their special ability to foster the changes that larger society finds too difficult to overcome.  He was a firm believer in the need for and power of ongoing communication, and thus he would be immensely thrilled to know that such an initiative as TTAR has been established and continues to thrive.

The Lacey family and an interfaith planning committee welcome you to the eleventh annual Dr. Archie Lacey conclave, Teens Talk About Racism.