ACTC to present Black History programs
Published on Feb 5, 2018
Ashland Community and Technical College will commemorate Black History Month throughout
the month of February with free programs for the community.
These programs illustrate the influence of African Americans on our society and culture,
and they are sponsored by ACTC, the Highlands Museum and Discovery Center and a number
of community partners.
All programs are free and open to the public.
Diversity, inclusion forum speaker announced
Daniel Patrick Murphy Jr., Assistant Dean of Community Engagement and Diversity at
the University of Kentucky, will be this year’s Community Diversity and Inclusion
Forum guest speaker.
Murphy will speak at noon on Thursday, Feb. 15, at the J.B. Sowards Theatre on ACTC’s
College Drive Campus.
Murphy is a 1998 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Prior to joining the administration in 2010, he was counsel at the law firm of Wyatt,
Tarrant & Combs, LLP in its Lexington office, and previously a member (partner) in
the law firm of McMurry & Livingston, PLLC, in Paducah, Kentucky, where he focused
primarily in the area of real estate law.
Murphy oversees day-to-day nonacademic operations at the College of Law, including
supervision of the marketing and communications, information technology and continuing
legal education departments. Furthermore, he serves as the college liaison to the
university for the current law school rebuild and expansion project.
Murphy also serves as the college’s diversity officer, oversees the voluntary student
pro bono program and efforts to engage the college with the university, the community-at-large,
the commonwealth and across the nation.
Murphy is active in his community. He is a past chair of the Commerce Lexington (Greater
Lexington Chamber of Commerce) Board of Directors, and serves on the KY YMCA Youth
Association Board of Directors and Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass Board of Directors.
Murphy is a native of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in
political science from the University of Kentucky in 1993, making him the first college
graduate in his family. He is married to Melissa Moore Murphy and they have three
children:Terrance, Makari and Micah.
ACTC, Highlands partner for Gospel Night
Gospel Night will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15 at the Highlands Museum and Discover
Center.
At Gospel Night, choirs and individual singers from African American churches throughout
the Tri-State will sing the songs that have inspired generations of Americans. From
humble beginnings as Negro spirituals, the sound and spirit of black gospel music
has become a profound force in American music and culture.
Previous performers have come from churches such as Christ Temple Church and New Hope
Baptist Church in Ashland, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and Full Gospel Assembly
in Huntington, First Baptist Church in Burlington, Ohio, and Mt. Olive Baptist Church
and Quinn Chapel Church in Ironton.
The audience will also be able to view the museum’s February Black History Month exhibit,
“A Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians,” which spotlights 11 Kentuckians who made their
mark on history. Text and photo panels tell the individual stories of nurses, photographers,
educators and more.
For information about performing at Gospel Night, contact the museum at 606-329-8888.
Talent Night is Feb. 23
ACTC will host a Talent Night at 7 p.m. Friday Feb. 23 at the J.B. Sowards Theatre
on ACTC’s College Drive Campus. This showcase gives amateur talent in the Tri-State
a chance to share their talents in music, song, dance, poetry, comedy and drama.
The event is open to youth and adults and there is no contestant entry fee. To register,
contact Al Baker, ACTC Director of Cultural Diversity, at 606-326-2422 or email alvin.baker@kctcs.edu.
