UK Happenings

Karida L. Brown to discuss book as part of Martin School program

Karida L. Brown UK Martin School
Karida L. Brown, Ph.D., will lead a discussion of her book, “Gone Home: Race and Roots Through Appalachia.”

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2023) — The public is invited to a conversation with Karida L. Brown, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Emory University, to discuss her book, “Gone Home: Race and Roots Through Appalachia.” The lecture and discussion is 5 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in the Kincaid Auditorium at the Gatton College of Business and Economics. The event is free.

In 2022, the University of Kentucky Martin School of Public Policy and Administration received a generous donation to establish the Miriam Jane Van Dyke Barager Endowment for Diversity and Inclusion. The program is made possible by Judy Barager-Kemper, a Martin School alumna, and her family, and is named in honor of her mother.

"Kentucky is my ancestral home. The landscapes, folkways and the legacy industry of coal country informs who I am, and how I be. That is why it is such a great honor, a homecoming really, to be invited to share my reflections on my book Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia with the Martin School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Kentucky," said Brown.

Ron Zimmer, Ph.D., director of the Martin School, says he is thrilled that Brown will be able to present her research to the UK community in-person and illuminate stories of Black families who have lived and worked in Eastern Kentucky.

“Throughout March, we’ve been discussing the book in small groups comprised of UK faculty, staff, students and Martin School alumni. These conversations in and out of the classroom align with the Martin School’s commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Zimmer.

The event is co-sponsored by the Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program; the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies; the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment Office of Diversity; the College of Arts & Sciences Department of Sociology; and the Graduate School Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.