Notable Louisville Neighborhoods and the People Who Put Them on the Map is a new Filson series that seeks to connect people with their hyperlocal history in a meaningful way. Focusing on the various neighborhoods within the city of Louisville, the series kicks off with a panel discussion on the history of the Russell Neighborhood. Originally a fashionable suburb with white and black working-class housing, Russell evolved into Louisville’s foremost African American neighborhood by the 1940s, boasting a well-defined business district and an expansive residential area.

Ken Clay, community leader and co-author of Two Centuries of Black Louisville: A Photographic History, will lead a panel discussion to bring to life Russell’s important history and influence on our community.

Joining Clay on the panel will be:

• Michael L. Jones an award-winning freelance journalist and author whose work regularly appears in Insider Louisville, LEO, Louisville Magazine and Food & Dining. His last book, Louisville Jug Music: From Earl McDonald to the National Jubilee, received the 2014 Samuel Thomas Book Award from the Louisville Historical League. Jones' article about the black roots of Happy Birthday to You, A Peculiar Composition, appeared in the 2017 Oxford American music issue which focused on Kentucky.
• Claudia Geurin is a retired employee of AT&T and Jefferson County Public Schools.  She grew up in the Parkland neighborhood, attended Central High School, and is a lifelong member of the Hill Street BC that was located in the Russell area from 1942-2005. Geurin wrote first book, Time and Story in 2016.  She has been a member of the Louisville Urban League Guild for 38 years.
• Jana Meyer is an Associate Curator of Collections at the Filson Historical Society.  She received a degree in History from the University of Louisville, as well as a master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Kentucky.  Jana specializes in arranging and describing the Filson's manuscript collections.