Over 20,000 soldiers and 800 sailors in the Civil War were African Americans from Kentucky. This included several Underground Railroad escapees. These Kentuckians actively participated in the formation of the nation’s first officially recognized African American military units and recruiting stations, in addition to taking part in key battles throughout the war. Alicestyne Turley, in her lecture at The Filson, will highlight the important role of Kentucky African Americans who heeded Lincoln’s call to war to preserve the Union, thereby providing a test of the strength of Lincoln’s signature on the Emancipation Proclamation. She will also speak on how African American military enlistment and their record of military service provided far-reaching social and political challenges and consequences for post-war America, ushering in a new era in American race relations. Turley is a professor in the Pan-African Studies Department at the University of Louisville, and the Director of the University’s Underground Railroad Research Institute. She founded the Institute at Georgetown College in 2001, which relocated to the University of Louisville in 2009. She currently serves as a Board Member on the Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board, and is a newly appointed member of the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks and Preservation Districts Commission. This lecture will begin at 12 p.m. at The Filson Historical Society. There is no cost for this event, though reservations are suggested. You may reserve your seat by visiting www.filsonhistorical.org or by calling The Filson at (502) 635-5083.