The NKAAHTF is a regional affiliate of the Kentucky Heritage Council, Kentucky African American Heritage Commission which is a member of the Education, Arts and Humanities Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The mission of the Task Force is " to identify and promote awareness of significant African American influences upon the history and culture of Kentucky and to support and encourage the preservation of Kentucky African American heritage."

General Information

1. Task Force membership is open to all persons who subscribe to the mission and goals of the organization and who wish to help "right" the history of Kentucky.

2. Available for speaking engagements.

3. Collect historical information.

4. Regular meetings open to the public.

5. Informative educational programs for all ages.

6. Newsletter through which we hope to enlighten and educate the public about our program and volunteer opportunities.

 

History of the Northern Kentucky African American Heritage Task Force

The Northern Kentucky African American Heritage Task Force is an all volunteer 501 (c) (3) organization. The geographic focus of the Task Force is the Northern Kentucky Region consisting of Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Fleming, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Owen, Pendleton, and Robertson Counties.

The purpose of the organization is to discover and preserve less recognized aspects of Kentucky's history, and especially, to increase awareness of the struggles, strivings, and accomplishments of African Americans that have enabled them to make significant contributions to the Commonwealth and to the nation in spite of a generally hostile environment.

The Task Force was founded in 1992 in response to action on the part of the State Historic Preservation Office to recognize the contributions of Kentucky's African Americans. Four persons who participated in the State effort became the organizers of the Northern Kentucky African American Heritage Task Force. Concurrently, at the state level, groundwork was being laid for the establishment of the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission. The Task Force subsequently adopted the mission and goals of the Commission and became its regional adjunct.

The mission is "To identify and promote awareness of the significant African American influence upon the history and culture of Kentucky and to support and encourage the preservation of Kentucky African American Heritage."

The Goals are to:

1. Educate the public about the achievements, contributions, and heritage of Kentucky African Americans.

2. Assist in the preservation of significant buildings, sites, neighborhoods, documents, and artifacts associated with Kentucky's African American history and culture.

3. Promote conservation of African American traditions and culture.

4. Encourage public agencies and private institutions to incorporate the African American influences when developing projects and programs related to the history and culture of the Commonwealth.

Task Force membership and participation are reflective of a cross section of the regional population. The organization is socio-economically and ethnically diverse, and reflects a variety of skills and professions.

Activities of the organization are carried out through committees and through cooperative efforts with county historical societies and other groups. Since history knows no geographic boundaries, networking and interfacing with agencies, both within and outside the state, are frequent Principal among the committees are Oral History, whose members audiotape and transcribe the history that older citizens share from their memories; Research, the members of which follow specific lines of inquiry towards documentation and/or publication; Archives, which makes efforts to preserve documents, artifacts, etc. through an ongoing relationship with public libraries and university archives; Newsletter, the committee which publishes a quarterly newsletteer to keep readers apprised of many of the activities of the organization; Education, which seeks in various ways to educate concerning the contributions of Kentucky African Americans; and Program, which seeks to involve the broader community in events and activities reflecting African American influences on culture and history.

Among the events the Task Force has sponsored are lectures, exhibits, panel discussions, historic tours, restoration efforts, living history portrayals, and educational programs for specific groups (such as seniors and students ) including archeological digs and programs based on the Underground Railroad.

The Task Force holds monthly meetings on the second Monday of the month, except September, which is the annual meeting month, and December. Financial support is through membership dues which are $15.00 per year, per household.