Named after civil rights pioneer and the first African American student to attend the University of Kentucky in 1949, the Lyman T. Johnson Awards are given to African American members of the UK community whose faith, hard work, and determination have positively impacted the lives of people on campus, the city, state, or nation. 

Each year, UK’s academic colleges and units select one African American alum to receive the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award. These units also choose an African American student within their respective colleges/departments whose academic achievement and ability to impact the lives of others would warrant them to receive the Lyman T. Johnson Torch Bearer Award.