Black History Archives

Lexington lawmaker will attempt again to make Juneteenth a state holiday

by Sarah Ladd
June 15, 2024

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, commemorating the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free

Hopkinsville Juneteenth bus tour to highlight community’s African American history

by Lyra Duffy
June 13, 2024

The tour showcases cemeteries, medical clinics, churches and Attucks High School.

Only 1.6% of US doctors were Black in 1906 – and the legacy of inequality in medical education has not yet been erased

by Benjamin Chrisinger
June 10, 2024

Despite clear and persistent gaps between white and Black doctors, lawmakers have tried to prohibit diversity initiatives in medicine.

Paducah group buys more than a dozen Helen LaFrance paintings at auction

by Derek Operle
May 13, 2024

The Paducah Historic Preservation Group raised more than $100,000 to purchase and preserve 14 works by LaFrance.

10,000 Kentuckians marched to demand racial equality. My grandmother was one of them.

by Liam Niemeyer
March 5, 2024

The 60th anniversary of the Freedom March on Frankfort was commemorated on Tuesday.

Hopkinsville street, museum room dedicated to legacy of bell hooks, a trailblazing Black feminist

by Derek Operle
March 2, 2024

More than 100 community members and officials gathered Friday at the Pennyroyal Area Museum to pay tribute to Hopkinsville's pioneering Black author and feminist, bell hooks.

‘A true American story’: How a celebrated family legacy continues to impact Mammoth Cave

by Alana Watson and Kennedy Gayheart
March 2, 2024

The Bransford Family history at Mammoth Cave is rich and enduring.

The healing legacy of Dr. Philip Carruthers Brooks

by Jennifer P. Brown
February 28, 2024

The 1927 graduate of Howard University's medical school treated patients in his hometown for 50 years and ran Hopkinsville's only hospital for Black patients during segregation.

The surprising history of 201 S. Virgina St.

by Grace Abernethy
February 26, 2024

In the second part of a three-part Black History Month series about Dr. Phillip Brooks, Grace Abernethy explores the history of the property where Brooks built Hopkinsville's only hospital for Black patients during segregation.

Nursery bed symbolizes Brooks family legacy in Hopkinsville

by Alissa Keller
February 26, 2024

Cowan Brooks, the son of Dr. Philip Carruthers Brooks, donated the artifact to the Pennyroyal Area Museum shortly after the death of his father.

John Brim: A blues man from Hopkinsville who wrote ‘Ice Cream Man’

by Jennifer P. Brown
February 25, 2024

The Hopkinsville native's best-known song is “Ice Cream Man,” and it has a backstory worthy of the blues.

Kentuckians have to stand now for future generations, state lawmaker tells Hopkinsville audience

by Jennifer P. Brown
February 25, 2024

The 28th annual African American Heritage Breakfast had 350 guests who heard from keynote speaker Rep. Pamela Stevenson.