In honor of Black History Month in February, the Kentucky Historical Society will offer events and programs that spotlight African Americans and their role in Kentucky’s history.

Online Resources

Since 1998, more than 200 Kentuckians have shared their memories of the civil rights movement in interviews with the Kentucky Oral History Commission. Now their powerful stories, in their own words in video, audio, and transcript format, are available online on our Kentucky Civil Rights Movement database. To view the database, visit our Web site (www.history.ky.gov) and click on “Search our Collections.”

Black History Month Event Calendar

All events occur at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History unless otherwise noted.

Clio’s Corner: “Kentucky African Americans in the Military”

Tuesdays and Saturdays in February, 2-4 p.m.

Learn about black Kentuckians who joined the ranks in conflicts from the Civil War through the Gulf War in this informal touch-cart presentation. Free with museum admission. For more information, contact Linda Grabon at 502-564-1792, ext. 4422.

History Zone for Kids: “We’ve Got the Beat!”

Saturdays in February, 1-4 p.m.

Celebrate the accomplishments of Kentucky’s black musicians and create your own musical masterpieces. Maybe you could be the next Helen Humes or Lionel Hampton! For children ages 5 to 10 and their families. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Groups of 10 or more must register in advance. Free. For more information, contact Annette Parde at 502-564-1792, ext. 4461.

Museum Theatre: Nothing New for Easter: Shopping for Civil Rights

Wednesdays in February, 2 p.m.

Meet Mattie Eleanor Lewis, an African American teenager living in Louisville in 1961 and listen as she struggles to decide whether or not to get involved in Kentucky’s civil rights movement by taking part in a local boycott. Free with museum admission. For more information, contact Greg Hardison at 502-564-1792 ext. 4454.

Museum Theatre: Bound for Freedom: The Story of Frontier Slave Monk Estill

Premiere Performance

Saturdays in February, 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Discover the challenges of frontier life with an enslaved man who fought his way to freedom. Free with museum admission. For more information, contact Greg Hardison at 502-564-1792 ext. 4454.

Family-History Workshop: “African American Genealogical Research” and “Kentucky’s Links to the Underground Railroad”

Saturday, February 9, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

More and more resources are becoming available to help in the search for African American family histories. The sessions will provide a reference guide to African American genealogical resources in Kentucky, including an afternoon discussion of records regarding sites that were stops on the Underground Railroad. A light lunch is available at a cost of $6, payable at the door. Registration by noon on Friday, February 8, is required. For more information or to register, contact the library reference desk, 502-564-1792, ext. 4460, or by email.

Tea Time Tours: “Wanted: Freedom- Dead or Alive!”

Wednesday, February 20, Noon-1:30 p.m.

Join Daryl Harris, Northern Kentucky University, as he explores and honors the lives and legacies of Kentucky travelers on the Underground Railroad. Harris focuses primarily on the celebrated Kentucky do-or-die freedom seeker Margaret Garner, whose life inspired the novel Beloved, and he also looks at other people from Kentucky who sought freedom by any means necessary: some via the Underground Railroad, others via the “Train to Glory.” All tickets must be purchased in advance by February 15. $18 for KHS members, $23 for all other patrons. To make a reservation, contact Julia Curry at 502-564-1792, ext. 4414.

For more information on these events, or for access to African American resources available from the Kentucky Historical Society, visit our Web site.