LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A group of people in Lexington is working to preserve the legacy of historic Black communities that were once spread across Fayette County.
Inside First Baptist Church Bracktown Monday night, people were keeping the past alive.
He's one of many who came out to help shape Lexington's "A Sense of Place" program. It's cataloging the history of Lexington's historic Black hamlets or villages.
"It's wonderful getting them all together and hearing them share their history is very inspiring to me," said Tiffany Brown, the chief equity officer in the mayor's office.
Brown said Bracktown is the fifth hamlet they've visited. These are communities organized and developed by Black people from the 1800s to the 1920s. Brown says there were 20 communities like this across Fayette County and they want to be sure their legacies live on through the project. They're restoring the Cadentown School, where they'll have a place for people to learn about this history.
"It's an important origin story, to know where you come from, to understand the values and the systems that these small communities used and how we can look forward to the future," Brown said.
Dr. C. B. Akins, Sr. was the pastor at First Baptist Church Bracktown for 38 years. He says that history is important to document so people can truly appreciate where they've come from.
"Our kids have opportunities to move so fast and so often, that a sense of history is hard to capture. It's necessary that they hear from the elders that the land that you came from has meaning," Akins said.
That meaning, Akins said, can help shape the future.
"The true history of Lexington can be known, even those parts that some of us would like to forget, let's not forget them. Let's learn from them and make this community the community it can be," Akins said.
To learn more about the program, including how you can get involved, visit LexingtonHamlets.org.
