News

“The University of Kentucky and NAACP joined forces to work with communities and educators to produce the scientific evidence needed to help policy-makers reach decisions and transform lives,” said Julian Vasquez Heilig.

Lowery, a nationally renowned journalist and book author, specializes in the coverage of diversity, race, crime, urban and political issues. Prior to CBS News, he reported for The Washington Post, where his work on “Fatal Force,” a project on police shootings, helped the Post win the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2016.

The NKAA Database was introduced in 2003 by University of Kentucky librarians Reinette Jones and Rob Aken. The project’s web pages, which focus on African Americans in and from Kentucky from the 1700s to the present, were developed to bring together names, places, events and sources where additional information could be found.

The Black History Month theme for 2021 is, “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” Throughout the centuries, the Black family’s representation and identity have been revered and stereotyped. It knows no single location, and genetic-ancestry searches and family reunions show the spread of Black families across states, nations and continents.

“Our goal this year was to truly encompass a collaborative effort for planning Black History Month and to bring in diverse perspectives to highlight the many facets of Blackness and the Black Diaspora,” said Ja’Mahl McDaniel, director of the MLK Center. “I am extremely proud of the work and commitment our Black History Month planning team has demonstrated."

Two programs fostered by the University of Kentucky Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC) have been awarded by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Science and Technology Council for creating “a more inclusive research and development innovation ecosystem for the future.”

The University of Kentucky will host the 32nd annual Economic Outlook Conference, sponsored by Central Bank, Wednesday, Feb. 3. The conference will be offered from 8:30 a.m.-noon as a webinar. Registration is required, but the registration fee has been waived.

SPARK, which was launched last year by UK’s Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) and Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), is a year-long community-engaged program for undergraduates focused on research related to health equity.

“By seeking books that explore the intersections of sports and racial and ethnic histories through the racial dynamics of gender, culture, masculinity, sexuality, and power through biography, community, film, literature, and oral history, the series opens a new analysis of American sport and culture,” said Ashley Runyon, University Press of Kentucky director.

Recently, I was grateful to have a conversation with Dr. Stephanie White, associate dean of diversity and inclusion for the UK College of Medicine. Dr. White joined the University of Kentucky in January 2020, and she is currently a member of the DEI Leadership Team.