As part of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Democracy and the Informed Citizen initiative and to celebrate its 50^th anniversary, Kentucky Humanities, in partnership with the University of Pikeville, will host journalist David Brooks on Tuesday, February 8^th at 5:30 p.m. (EST) at the University of Pikeville. Brooks will discuss the role of the humanities and journalism in fostering an informed citizenry and how to unite during these turbulent times. The event will be held at UPIKE HPEB 7^th Floor Pavilion at 810 Hambley Boulevard in Pikeville.

David Brooks is an opinion columnist for The New York Times, commentator on “PBS NewsHour,” NPR’s “All Things Considered,” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He is the author of several books including Animal Dreams and The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life.

This event is a collaboration between Kentucky Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and UPIKE’s Division of Humanities, Division of Social Sciences, and the Coleman College of Business.

“UPIKE and the Pikeville community have always been supportive and welcoming to Kentucky Humanities and its programs,” said Kentucky Humanities Executive Director Bill Goodman. “We are excited to bring our 50^th Anniversary celebration to eastern Kentucky and we are thrilled to partner with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and the University of Pikeville for our 50^th Anniversary kick-off event.”

Since 1972, Kentucky Humanities has provided the Commonwealth with programs and services that create a legacy of pride in the wealth of Kentucky culture, build civic engagement and support local humanities events. Kentucky Humanities has invested more than $16 million in public programs for Kentuckians and the organization has provided funding for more than 18,000 public humanities programs that are held in familiar community settings and reach every corner of the Commonwealth.

Kentucky Humanities programs and services include Kentucky Chautauqua^®, PRIME TIME Family Reading^®, grants for community events/projects, Museum on Main Street, Kentucky Reads, Kentucky Humanities magazine, Speakers Bureau, Think Humanities podcast, Think History radio segments, Kentucky Book Festival^®, and School Days.

A year-long celebration is planned to commemorate Kentucky Humanities’ 50^th Anniversary including six regional public events, 50 Faces of the Humanities videos revealed each week, special issues of Kentucky Humanities magazine, and Instagram takeovers by humanities students at Kentucky colleges and universities.

This event, and all Kentucky Humanities’ 50^th Anniversary events, are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Visit https://www.kyhumanities.org/about-us/50th-anniversary/anniversary-events to register.