Gateway Regional Arts Center

Our Affrilachia Project was envisioned as a multi-year initiative to honor and uplift the cultural contributions of Black Appalachians. The project included partnerships with schools, local artists, and organizations like the BuBois Community Center. Through field trips and community programs, we sought to explore the intersection of African American history, local Black identity, and the legacies of slavery and systemic inequities in our community. Youth participants analyzed the impacts of slavery that are pervasive in rural communities to this very day and honored the contributions of Black Appalachians from Eastern Kentucky who made important contributions to the region’s culture, foodways, music, technology, and other fields. Through live performances by "Affrilachian" poets and musicians and a visual art gallery with primary sources from The 1619 Project and local newspaper archives, our community examined how white supremacy impacted local Black communities and created barriers - the effects of which are still being felt today.