(Organizer)
Contributing Writer/Scholar.
In Slavery and Freedom in the Bluegrass State, editor Gerald L. Smith presents a collection of powerful essays that uncover the long-forgotten stories of pain, protest, and perseverance of African Americans in Kentucky. Using the song and the museum site of My Old Kentucky Home as a central motif, the chapters move beyond historical myths to bring into sharper focus the many nuances of Black life. Chronologically arranged, they present fresh insights on topics such as the domestic slave trade, Black Shakers, rebellion and racial violence prior to the Civil War, Reconstruction, the fortitude of Black women as they pressed for political and educational equality, the intersection of race and sports, and the controversy over a historic monument. - University Press of Kentucky
Oral Historian.
In 1964, Black Kentuckians challenged Jim Crow laws, racial discrimination, and segregation at the March on Frankfort. Planned by local Black leaders and joined by renowned Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., the March on Frankfort was historic moment. I served as oral historian on this project, wrote teachers’ essay for the accompanying curriculum, and did voiceover work for mini-documentaries.
Historian/Curriculum Writer.
Through a grant from the Kentucky African American Heritage Council, I am working with the Joanna Hay Production team to produce a Black History curriculum for eigth graders in Kentucky. This work emphasizes Black humanity and demonstrates the various ways Black Kentuckians contributed to the Commonwealth’s founding and growth.
Co-producer/Co-writer.
Invented Before You were Born is a documentary that tells the story of the Bibb freedmen, a group of Black men, women, and children emancipated in 1840 by the will of Richard Bibb, which bequeathed to them land, houses, tools, and money. With thier newfound freedom, they established three, free Black towns in Western Kentucky. Invented examines the lives of these freedmen - as well as a white man, Jonathan Knight, who traces his heritage back to these people.
Forthcoming fall 2022.
Researcher.
The Struggle is Eternal: Gloria Richardson and Black Liberation by Joseph R. Fitzgerald examines the life of Richardson as she led the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee in Cambridge, Maryland. I conducted archival research at the University of Kentucky’s Special Collection Research Center for the book.
Guest
Soapbox Diaries hosted by Tina Bryson is a podcast that focuses on race, resilliance, and resolve. I was honored to be her inaugural guest.