Black [hemp] History

A special Black History Month program at the Hopewell Museum in Paris, Kentucky highlighting the integral role of African Americans in the hemp industry and Kentucky agriculture. 

Guests will hear historical and present-day insights from Ms. Ashley C. Smith, Founder of Black Soil: Our Better Nature and Dr. Andrew Patrick, Associate Director of the Social Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (SEED) Center and is an Assistant Professor of History at Centre College. 

This program is free and open to all, courtesy of The Hopewell Museum/Historic Paris-Bourbon County, Paris-Bourbon County Public Library, and the Kentucky Hemp Heritage Alliance/Heritage Hemp Trail. Light refreshments will be served.  

Donations are encouraged and will go toward our partner non-profits. If you're interested in sponsoring this event, please let us know. All funding support is appreciated!  

See additional details below. 

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Black [hemp] History 

Sunday, February 16th 

2:00-4:00 PM 

The Hopewell Museum 

800 Pleasant Street 

Paris, Kentucky 

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Presentations/Speakers 

Rooted: Hemp's Origins and Innovations of Kentucky's African Americans  

By Ashley C. Smith (with notes from Reinette Jones) 

Explore a brief introduction to the massive, long standing contributions of African Americans in Kentucky in relation to hemp and its cultivation. Discover the inequity and innovations of the enslaved, free and modern African American agriculturalists.  

Ashley C. Smith is native and lifelong resident of Lexington, Kentucky. She spent over 20 years working for such brands as Fayette Alliance, The Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, NetGain Technologies and CHI Saint Joseph Health.  She is a co-founder of Black Soil: Our Better Nature, an agritourism company missioned to reconnect black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture. This year she returned for her 3rd year as Mistress of Ceremonies for the MLK Holiday Program. She and Trevor Claiborn are the proud parents of Caroline Faye and Trevor Moran Claiborn, Jr.  

Black Labor and Green Fiber in the Bluegrass: African Americans and Kentucky Hemp  

By Dr. Andrew Patrick

Dr. Andrew Patrick serves as Associate Director of the Social Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (SEED) Center and is an Assistant Professor of History at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. He provides pedagogical and administrative support for experiential learning initiatives and practices across campus, including community-based learning, academic internships, and undergraduate research. He is also a member of the history faculty and teaches courses that emphasize experiential learning within the discipline such as public history and landscape history. Andrew received a B.A. in history and philosophy from Centre College, and an M.A and Ph.D. in American history from the University of Kentucky.