The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage (KCAAH) in Louisville stands as a living testament to the passion, struggle, and triumph that shape African American history in Kentucky. Often referred to as simply “the Heritage Center” or “the Center,” this 68,000-square-foot campus on West Muhammad Ali Boulevard attracts thousands of visitors each year. People come for workshops, historical exhibits, cultural programs, and artistic showcases. Open Monday through Friday, the Center has become a vital hub for community engagement and cultural preservation.
Louisville’s immigrants, particularly those with African Diaspora roots, frequently collaborate with and visit the Center. Executive Director Aukram Burton notes that the Center has hosted a wide range of cultural celebrations, including the African Heritage Festival with Bridge Kids International, and that Louisville is home to one of the nation’s largest Cuban communities outside Miami. Burton emphasizes that the Center’s mission is to preserve and promote Kentucky’s African American heritage alongside the histories shared across the global African Diaspora.
Burton, a longtime photographer, filmmaker, and educator, documents this Diaspora through decades of international travel. His exhibition, Journeys in the African Diaspora: A Photographic Retrospective 1979–2024, offers a sweeping visual narrative of shared cultural and historical roots across nations. The Center also celebrates local photojournalist Bud Dorsey, whose landmark book Available Light documents Black life in Louisville through decades of grassroots photographic work…