The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia Black Life and Culture in the Commonwealth text as a link to the KAAE homepage.

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To support the Encyclopedia, please email us at uk-kaae@lsv.uky.edu and someone will contact you. Your gift is tax deductible. The Thomas D. Clark Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) entity.

Please send all contributions to: Kentucky African American Encyclopedia Project
c/o The Thomas Clark Foundation
The University Press of Kentucky
663 South Limestone Street
Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008

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Did You Know?

Eugenia "Jean" Murrell Capers, a native of Georgetown, Kentucky, was the first African American assistant police prosecutor in Cleveland, Ohio, and first African American city council person of any major U. S. city.

“Knowing the value of an Encyclopedia, this one will fill a gap in Kentucky history. From the Big Sandy to the Mississippi, the editors have revived the significant contributions and lives of African Americans.” - John Kleber

Editor of The Kentucky Encyclopedia
and The Encyclopedia of Louisville

Woman standing beside car; St. Paul AME Church, Lexington; Marvin and Morgan Smith, nationally famous  photographers from Nicholasville
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The Kentucky Encyclopedia (1992), The Encyclopedia of Louisville (2002), and The Northern Kentucky Encyclopedia (2009) have entries on African Americans, but these volumes were not compiled to focus solely on the many topics and issues relative to black life in the bluegrass state. The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia will provide a comprehensive volume of research on the black experience in the Commonwealth. It will include entries on the individuals, events, places, organizations, movements, and institutions which have shaped the state's history since its origins. It will also include topical essays on slavery, education, women, religion, sports, business, and civil rights.