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‘Yes, You Can Come Home Again’: Emily Hudson to Deliver Appalachian Forum Series Lecture

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 25, 2021) — The University of Kentucky will welcome Emily Hudson, community activist and founder of the Southeast Kentucky African American Museum and Cultural Center, to campus next week as part of the Appalachian Forum series.

The lecture, titled “Yes, You Can Come Home Again,” will take place 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, in the William T. Young Library UK Athletics Auditorium, and on Zoom. The presentation is sponsored by the UK Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program, African American and Africana Studies (AAAS), and the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies (CIBS) at UK.

Hudson will share excerpts from her book, “Soul Miner,” and discuss her journey in search of her identity as an Appalachian and an African American. She will discuss the genesis of the Southeast Kentucky African American Museum and Cultural Center and how it is on a mission to provide a platform for "history to speak." 

“Black Appalachian life and history are essential to our understanding of the region. We are delighted to host such a distinguished expert and community treasure," said Anastasia Curwood, director of the African American and Africana Studies program and the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies at UK.

“We are thrilled to partner with CIBS/AAAS to bring Emily Hudson to campus," said Kathryn Engle, director of the Appalachian Center. "We look forward to learning from her activism and work in documenting and celebrating Black experiences in the mountains.”

The in-person event and the virtual talk are open to the UK community and the public. Register for the webinar at https://uky.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yfwRd000RlmGgvY50fAmAw.

More information is available at https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/emily-hudson.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion four years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" three years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for five straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.