Velma Carey, her husband, Lee Carey, and their children moved from Champaign to Springfield in 1956. Through involvement in her children’s schools, Mrs. Carey became aware of conditions in the Springfield school district and was involved in the school district desegregation lawsuit.
In an interview for the Springfield African-American History Foundation series, Carey also discussed the early 1990s’ study of the Springfield Race Riot of 1908 and described difficulties her family had finding housing in Springfield.