Anastasia C. Curwood: Dr. Curwood, Professor of History and Director of the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, joined the UK Department of History and African American & Africana Studies in 2014. Her work has been recognized with fellowships from the Ford Foundation, The Institute for Citizens & Scholars, and the James Weldon Johnson Institute for the Study of Race and Difference at Emory University. She is the author of Stormy Weather: Middle-Class African American Marriages between the Two World Wars (2010). Her most recent book is Shirley Chisholm: Champion of Black Feminist Power Politics (2023).

Vanessa M. Holden: Dr. Vanessa M. Holden (she/her) received her Ph.D. in African American and Women's and Gender History from Rutgers University. She currently serves as the director of the African American and Africana Studies Program and the director of the Central Kentucky Slavery Initiative at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on African American women and slavery in the antebellum South. Her areas of interest are the history of resistance and rebellion, gender history, and the history of sex/sexuality. She offers courses in American History, African American History, and African American Studies. 

Brenna E. Pye: Assistant Director for Programs and Engagement for the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies. Brenna is a Public Historian and project developer whose research interests include 20th century African American women’s history and the history of Black Lexington. As an independent scholar, Brenna has produced work for the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation and the Lexington Public Library.

Crystal Ross: Department Manager - African American & Africana Studies Program and Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, College of Arts and Sciences.