Latest news with #C.B.NuckollsCommunityCenter
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Coming together for Black History: Annual dinner has ‘wonderful' turnout, benefits local museum
Darrell Smith attributed the annual C.B. Nuckolls Community Center and Black History Museum Fundraising Dinner's success to community support. Smith, who co-founded the museum along with aunt Bernice Henry in 2023, said nearly 300 people attended Saturday's event at the Highlands Museum & Discover Center, exceeding his expectations. 'The turnout was wonderful,' Smith said, adding the Highlands was a fantastic host. 'With all the changing things going on (in America), I think Ashland has shown how much they want to stay together as a community,' Smith said. 'It's not just Black history, it's all of our history. Our community is staying together.' Smith said he enjoyed seeing a crowd that featured a variety of occupations and many different roles people fulfill in the area. 'The community has always supported the museum, and I'm grateful for it,' he said. Smith is meticulous when it comes to details. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling of the bright, open area on the fourth floor. Several exhibits — including Juneteenth, Booker T. Washington and sports — were on display. 'I upped my game in a sense,' Smith said with a laugh. Texas Roadhouse provided dinner and dessert. A few alcoholic drinks were included in the ticket price. The event featured a cash bar, too. Tanner Cantley with Abe One's DJ handled the music as people celebrated and danced. Mayor Chuck Charles presented the museum a proclamation for 'Black History Month in Ashland.' An 'overwhelming' silent auction included about 50 items, Smith said. First Presbyterian folks, Fairview High School students, an Ironton student and a home-schooled student volunteered at the event. 'Those kids showed up and busted their tails,' Smith said. 'I always want to get the young people involved.' Smith said one of Saturday's highlights was the Chautauqua portion. Angela Linthicum played the part of Mahalia Jackson, Kristen Martin was Harriet Tubman and Leah Branch served in the role of Madam C.J. Walker. 'It was absolutely beautiful; those three ladies did a beautiful job,' Smith said. A few familiar faces and Ashland natives — including Birdell Fish, Smith's aunt, and the family of the late Rev. Henry Mosley — came home for the dinner. 'It was such a good time,' Smith said. Smith had not tallied all the numbers yet, but he estimated the event raised about $20,000 for the C.B. Nuckolls Community Center and Black History Museum. Sponsors included the following: ACTC, Clark's Pump-n-Shop, Dr. Charles Rhodes and Mrs. Dorothy Rhodes, Dr. Michael Canty and Mrs. Connie Canty, Martin, Wheeler & Vincent PSC, Pathways, UK KDMC, Ashland For Change, Ashland Rotary, Christ Center Ministries, City of Ashland, Community Trust Bank, Frye & Troxler PSC, First Presbyterian Church, Kentucky Power, Marathon, Perkins Family DBA, Second Hand Rose, PNC Bank, Steen Funeral Home, Ashland Office Supply, The Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky, the Blake family, the Jackson family, The Heritage Art Gallery and the Mosley family.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Highlands exhibit celebrates Black history
ASHLAND The Highlands Museum and Discovery Center is marking Black History Month with an exhibit, which will run through the end of February. 'Visitors will see many different facets of Black history, including 'An Abridged Black History Timeline' that follows 500 years of African (and African American) history,' curator Heather Whitman said. 'A special section dedicated to Booker T. Washington School, tells the story of Ashland's segregated school.' She said the display includes background of the song 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' often referred to as the Black National Anthem. It began as a poem written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, a principal at a segregated school in Jacksonville, Florida. A new section called 'Who Am I?' showcases prolific African Americans from across Kentucky using 23 panels, each devoted to a different influential Black Kentuckians. There also is a section tracing the evolution of the Black Barbie doll with a case displaying a variety of dolls. The C.B. Nuckolls Community Center and Black History Museum loaned several pieces for the exhibit, Whitman said.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sharing their stories
Feb. 13—IHS students learn about Black History museum With Black History Month now under way, students at Ironton High School had a visit on Thursday to a Tri-State institution dedicated to the topic. Staff from the C. B. Nuckolls Community Center & Black History Museum addressed students in the school's auditorium, speaking about the history of the museum, as well as some of their own stories. Darrell Smith, co-founder of the museum, said it "started as a dream." He said, in 2020, during the COVID-19 shutdowns, he began a page online, dedicated to Black history in Ashland. "I didn't see much promoting Black people," he said. "And we were losing a lot of Black history." Smith said, as elders died, photos were being thrown out and items were being given away. Smith's page eventually led to the museum, which opened in 2023, on Kilgore Drive in Ashland. While it has an Ashland focus, he said they have incorporated Ironton, Burlington, Huntington and the Tri-State. The museum is named for and dedicated to the memory of C.B. Nuckolls, who served as principal of Booker T. Washington, Ashland's school for Black students, from 1922-1962. One of those students who attended the school was Bernice Henry, Smith's aunt and co-founder of the museum. Henry said she began her education in the black school, but graduated after schools were integrated in the city. Students asked her what that experience was like. She compared it to leaving your home in the morning, "where everyone loves you," and not knowing what to expect in the new environment. Henry said, overall, she had a good experience in both schools, but at times, the new school could be "frightening." Smith said the Booker T. Washington School, which stood downtown on Central Avenue, on the lot of what is now the city's pool. He said the school burned in 1975 and its contents were lost. He said all items they have regarding it have been donated by former students and faculty. Henry promised the students, if they come to the museum, they "will not be bored." She said the experience of having visitors is an interactive experience for staff. "We don't know who ends up learning the most — us or them," she said. "And it is so important with us that we share our experiences."
