By Alan Lytle
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-958168.mp3
Lexington, KY – In this week's Focus on UK, an update on the effort to compile and publish the first-ever state-wide African American Encyclopedia.
Since its inception five years ago, a team of researchers at the University of Kentucky has been working to uncover what some would call the hidden history of the Commonwealth. And when they complete their task, Kentucky will be the first state in the nation to produce a comprehensive African-American Encyclopedia.
The project is the brainchild of Professors John A. Hardin at Western Kentucky University, Karen C. McDaniel of Berea College, and Gerald Smith at the University of Kentucky.
"We wanted to provide a general reference work on African Americans in Kentucky, one that includes people, places, events, organizations. In short, a reference work that school teachers could use college professors, or just the average lay person."
Smith says entries include the life and times of famous Kentucky African-Americans, including Muhammad Ali, Isaac Murphy, and State Senator Georgia Powers. But perhaps more importantly it will document the significant contributions of lesser known citizens of the Commonwealth.
"People like Speedy Adkins who was an African American who drowned in Paducah, Kentucky, but whose body was embalmed and was, basically on display for a number of years for people that visited a local funeral home there in Paducah."
UK Doctoral History students Sallie Powell, and Josh Farrington are writing many of the entries for the project.
"Well we've made quite a bit of progress. We have over five hundred completed entries out of a little over thirteen hundred total entries", said Powell.
Farrington added, "within the state of Kentucky there is just not much written on African-Americans. There are a few books, but besides that, it's really a topic that is left out of much of Kentucky history, so we're hoping this will be a contribution to the literature on African-American life, culture, and experience in Kentucky."
In doing her research, Powell says she uncovered the story of a trailblazing sports entrepreneur by the name of Ben Boyd.
"He was a baseball owner, manager, and player in Paducah, Kentucky, and he started the Paducah Nationals baseball team in 1903. He traveled all of the Midwest and South, played teams in Atlanta, played a white team in Illinois, he promoted his team in Paducah to black and white fans."
Farrington says he found something very interesting involving baseball icon Jackie Robinson's participation in the 1964 Civil Rights March on Frankfort.
"One of the ways they funded the organization inside of Louisville is they sold stocks. And so, you are basically investing in the future of Civil Rights. But you had the sheet of paper with the stock on it and everything. Well I found a whole bunch of these stocks in Jackie Robinson's papers."
The goal is to have the book printed by 2013. Powell and Farrington say they could use some volunteers to help them stay on pace.
"We are constantly looking for those who would be interested in contributing as authors and there's a wide variety of topics that are available depending on what interests you; be it sports, military, culture, music, women."
Information on the Kentucky African American Encyclopedia is available at www.uky.edu/kaae.