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Kentucky State University will honor its past and celebrate its future on Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. during its 2023 Heritage Assembly. The event is open to the public and will be held in the David H. Bradford Hall, Carl H. Smith Auditorium. The public can also view this event on Zoom using meeting code 945 4498 5273.

Chaka Cummings, the inaugural executive director of The Association for Teaching Black History in Kentucky, will serve as the keynote speaker.

Cummings’ career in education has spanned various roles, including classroom teacher, football coach, administrator and diversity practitioner. He taught every grade level from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, including math, English, religion, and physical education. Cummings specializes in teaching social sciences, specifically American history, world history, and geography. He has led numerous presentations on teaching practice, training educators in frameworks such as Backward Planning, Design Thinking and Socratic Seminar.

Cummings has served as a teacher at Lexington Catholic High School, St. John’s School in Georgetown, and Sayre School in Lexington. In January 2021, NBC affiliate WLEX (LEX 18) named Cummings Kentucky’s “Best of the Bluegrass Teacher of the Week” for his lessons incorporating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. across different grade levels.

Cummings is a 2002 graduate of Berea College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in education studies and is a member of the Alumni Executive Council. He also earned an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky (UK), where he is working toward a Ph.D. in higher education studies with an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion.  

Event attendees will be encouraged to follow all posted health-related protocols. Lunch will immediately follow the program.