Black History Month in Kentucky

It's the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and no better year to observe Black History Month.

Several agencies within the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet will be holding events during February to honor Black History Month.

Below is a listing of these events:

John James Audubon State Park, Henderson
Kentucky Chautauqua Performance: Reverend Newton Bush,
“Freedom at a Terrible Price”
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m., Audubon Museum

In 1864 Kentucky became the last state to allow slaves to enlist in the Union Army. The Rev. Newton Bush, like many other slaves, risked his life to escape. He traveled to Camp Nelson and enlisted in the Army to fight for his freedom, the freedom of loved ones, and to preserve the union. Those like Bush soon found that even though they were risking their lives to fight for freedom, this alone did not ensure they would be treated with any more respect and dignity than they received as slaves. This Kentucky Chautauqua performance (by actor Robert Bell) is presented in conjunction with the Kentucky Humanities Council and the John James Audubon Museum. Free. Call 270-827-1893.

My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Bardstown
Lecture, Luncheon and Kentucky Chautauqua Performance
Friday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m.

Pen Bogert, a preservation administrator in Bardstown, will share his research on slaves at the Federal Hill Plantation. Robert Bell will portray the Rev. Newton Bush, an African-American Union soldier, in “Freedom at a Terrible Price.” This Kentucky Chautauqua performance is sponsored in part by the Kentucky Humanities Council. Lunch will also be served. The cost is $15 a person and reservations are required. Call 1-800-323-7803 for reservations and information.


Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort
Family History Workshop
Feb. 11 at 10:30 a.m.

The Kentucky Historical Society will present “Entangled Lives,” a dialogue between descendants of a master and a slave with Ann Neel and Pam Smith. This is a free program, but advance registration is required. To reserve a space, email KHSRefDesk@ky.gov before Feb. 10. Smith will also discuss her Kentucky family lines that connect with President Thomas Jefferson's sister, Lucy Jefferson Lewis, of Livingston County, Ky., and intersect with the noted conservationist, Thomas Wallace, editor of the Louisville Times during the 1930s and ’40s. Smith will instruct the group on how to trace slavery and slaveholding in their own families through pictures, oral histories, census and probate records, information from research trips, and results from DNA testing. It will take place at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, 100 W. Broadway, Frankfort.

Kentucky Humanities Council, various locations
Kentucky Chautauqua Programs

Several Kentucky Chautauqua programs related to African-American history in Kentucky will be presented during February. These programs, sponsored by the Kentucky Humanities Council, feature actors who portray characters from Kentucky history. They include Anna Mac Clarke, portrayed by Haley McCoy, and her experience as an African-American woman in the Army during World War II; the Rev. Newton Bush, an African-American Union soldier, portrayed by Robert Bell; and “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing!,” By Daryl Harris, a musical history of African-Americans in Kentucky. Here are the programs:

Feb. 2, Anna Mac Clarke, military pioneer, Martin County Historical and Genealogical Society, Inez

Feb. 9, Anna Mac Clarke, military pioneer, Bluegrass Heritage Museum, Winchester

Feb. 9, The Rev. Newton Bush, “Freedom at a Terrible Price,” Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Prestonsburg

Feb. 9, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” Daryl Harris, McCracken County Public Library, Paducah

Feb. 21, The Rev. Newton Bush, “Freedom at a Terrible Price,” Paul Sawyier Public Library, Frankfort

Feb. 28, The Rev. Newton Bush, “Freedom at a Terrible Price,” Woodford County Public Library, Versailles