MURRAY, KY—The third and final lecture in the Murray State University Department of History and Calloway County Public Library Community 2024 Spring History Lecture Series will be presented on Sunday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m. at the Calloway County Public Library. Dr. Brian Clardy will be the guest speaker for the event. His lecture will be entitled Cherokee State Park: Segregation in Public Accommodations in Western Kentucky.

Cherokee State Park opened in 1951, in the final years of Jim Crow Segregation, as a public space for African Americans. It was attended by people from all over the country as a rest spot from the day-to-day humiliations of racial apartheid. However, the presence of Cherokee Park must be placed into its larger historical context. Dr. Clardy will discuss how segregation in America evolved and how Cherokee Park was part of that larger story.

Brian K. Clardy, PhD is an Associate Professor of History at Murray State University. He also serves as the Chair of the Kentucky Humanities Council Board of Directors and the Wednesday night host of “Cafe Jazz” on WKMS 91.3FM.

The lecture is presented free of charge, and all interested community members are invited to attend.

For more information, please email contactccpl@callowaycountylibrary.org.