It was never a hard decision for Rusty Justice when the coal industry began to show serious signs of sliding. Rather than obsess on the end of an economic, regional and cultural identity, he looked to the future. Always an entrepreneur, he soon found opportunity in a workforce that was highly skilled, disciplined and capable of adapting to new technologies.
Read MoreTruly collaborative efforts must be forward-looking, cross-region, and cross-sector. They must foster, facilitate, and act as a catalyst for developing a culture and capacity for resilient, deliberate innovation. And they must be about designing futures in which all of us can see ourselves. (It’s understandably hard to be excited about a future you don’t see as available to you.) These futures should not merely be open to--rather, I’d argue we’d all benefit when they are significantly driven by--initiatives from voices and communities too often left out of that discussion--innovative efforts/voices from rural communities, communities of color, refugee populations, LGBTQ perspectives, and other groups who have too often not been given equal opportunity to dream what the future might be.
Read MoreWhile many of the biggest names in horse racing history have trained and competed on the land that nearly 100 years ago housed the Kentucky Association racetrack, the space is a reminder of the legacy and eventual erasure of the Black horsemen who created horse racing as we know it today.
Read MoreVicki Phillips has charted the course for the future of education. Now as the Chief Education Officer and Vice President of National Geographic, she has developed a plan to modernize the organization’s efforts in expanding children’s access to education.
Read MoreIn celebration of Black History Month 2021, Kentucky to the World and the Muhammad Ali Center have collaborated to bring you the stories of five amazing Black Kentuckians who have forever shaped the reputation of our state with their work and talents. These people have had a positive “butterfly effect” that has created ripples to the story of Black history in Kentucky.
Read MoreEverett McCorvey has since managed to reach the apex of two fields in tandem: music performance and teaching. As Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of Kentucky, he has toured the world and received critical accolades as a leading tenor soloist.
Read MoreDana Canedy has received a Pulitzer Prize for reporting, written a celebrated memoir, become the first African American, first woman and youngest person to be elected administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, and, most recently, taken the position as Publisher and Vice President at Simon & Schuster.
Read MoreShelly Zegart founded Kentucky to the World but she’s more widely known for her work to elevate the art of quilts, a passion that ended up defining over three decades of her life.
Read MoreMichael Wines has used his tools as a journalist to shine a light on structural disenfranchisement at publications that include the Louisville Times, National Journal, the LA Times, and The New York Times.
Read MoreCassie Chambers Armstrong’s Hill Women reads as a faux-response to Vance’s polemic against the region: coming from Berea and growing up in Owsley County, she understands that poverty has largely been a policy problem, and that the people struggling in this region deserve community-level support rather than nationwide castigation.
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