February is Black History Month and, in the past year, there have been major strides to preserving that history in this region.

In April, the C. B. Nuckolls Community Center & Black History Museum, the first of its kind in the Tri-State, will open its doors in Ashland, Kentucky.

Last fall, the City of Huntington, West Virginia, paid tribute to one of the area’s most impactful leaders of the civil rights era struggles, when it dedicated a portion of Ninth Street to Marshall University social work professor Phil Carter, who led desegregation efforts in the 1960 there while a student.

In August, the state of Ohio placed a historic marker at Union Baptist Church, in the Blackfork community of Lawrence County, honoring the oldest active Black congregation in the state.

While, in Burlington, the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church has been the recipient of multiple grants and a long-needed restoration effort for it is set to begin this year, with an opening set for early 2024.

All of these will ensure that the valuable history surrounding them is preserved and that future generations can learn from them. We hope such efforts continue.