There are more notable African Americans with Kentucky roots and ties than any one person knows about. Very little has been written about many of them and it is a challenge to find what was written in the past. For some, their stories have only been told by word of mouth. The Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (NKAA) has been developed as a finding aid to bring together a brief description of pertinent names, places, and events, and to list the sources where additional information may be found. This is not currently an all inclusive database, but we are working toward that goal and suggestions are welcomed.
Did you know?
Born in Henderson, KY, Ricardo Sisney became the first African American assistant principal at the Senior High School in Bowling Green, KY, in 1971.…
Recently Updated/Added
James T. Taylor developed the Harrods Creek community in Jefferson County, KY. He purchased the land in 1919 and sold lots to African Americans. The…
The following information was submitted by Dr. John van Willigen, retired Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky.The early 20th…
In 1895, there was one colored school in Perry County, KY, according to the Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, July…
One or the earliest colored schools in Pulaski County, KY was the Freedmen Schoollocated in Somerset.The school wassupported by the U.S. Bureau of…
As early as 1880, there was a colored school in Mt. Olivet, KY; William Crosby was the school teacher and he was also a farm worker according to the…
The colored schools in Rowan County, KY, seemed to come and go from the late 1800s to about 1930. As early as 1895, there was one colored school in…
Kentucky native Holloway Smith was the second African American football player at Iowa State. The first African American player was Jack Trice, who…
June 23, 1888 is hailedas the day thatFrederick Douglass received one vote from the Kentucky Delegation at the Republican Convention in Chicago,…
