Kentucky Folklorists and Community Scholars Honored with an Emmy Award
On July 25, 2026, the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded the film, Jonesville: When Sunflowers Fall, an Emmy to a group of WKU-based folklorists, Community Scholars and media professionals in the historical documentary category.
Jonesville was a vibrant, prosperous African American community in Bowling Green. The earliest land deed dates to 1881, but the community likely began earlier shortly after the American Civil War. At its height, Jonesville had 85 houses and was home to many families who worked, attended school, and worshipped at church, and lived as a community. In 1963, the City of Bowling Green directed a campaign of “urban renewal” and like over 200 similar neighborhoods adjacent to US campuses across the country, the land was seized and dismantled in the 1960s to make way for the expansion of Western Kentucky University (WKU).
The energy moving this documentary forward began in the late 1990s through the diligent fieldwork of folklorist Maxine Ray and the late Community Scholar and former manager of the African American Museum of the Bowling Green Area Wathetta Buford. In 2021, the story was furthered through creation of a fresco mural in the lobby of the Kentucky Museum with motifs centering on Jonesville created by artist Alice Gatewood Waddell and WKU professor/artist Mike Nichols. During this period, the energy surrounding the Jonesville story grew and the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP) and Kentucky Arts Council taught a Community Scholars training course in which Jonesville descendants learned documentation skills to interview former residents and other descendants with a focus on creating an exhibit entitled: What Happened to Jonesville? This exhibit was unveiled at a community exhibit opening event sponsored by the President’s Jonesville Reconciliation Workgroup at the Kentucky Museum in fall of 2022.
“The Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Folklife Program are dedicated to validating the voices of are regional community partners in many ways,” shared Museum and KFP Director and film co-producer Brent Bjorkman. “Since 1939 we have been a town-gown bridge to sharing the vibrant story of the Commonwealth, and more pointedly, Southcentral Kentucky. It remains a great honor for the whole production team, WKU faculty and staff, the Community Scholars to have the relationship with WKU Public Media executive production team with who were central in supporting this documentary project throughout the process contributing personal, equipment, and resources with their shared believe in telling this intimate local story of our community.”
Following the exhibit creation, the energy shifted to advancing this story further and to the idea to teach videography skills to the Community Scholars with an envisioned result being to create a film. For the next year, dedicated members of the Community Scholars and President’s Reconciliation Workgroup were led by, WKU Public Media’s producer, director and folklorist Josh Niedwick and his crew of camera operators who collaborated with members of the Kentucky Folklife Program, Kentucky Museum, and Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology to teach the skills to bring this story together in documentary form. The first public showing was May 1, 2026, on the campus of WKU and was simultaneously shared on the WKU Public Media’s YouTube channel.
“The film was a way of honoring our Jonesville ancestors and ta way to share with their descendants and children about their hard labor, their achievements, and the misfortune in the end of the community,” Said co-producer Alice Gatewood Waddell, “I was proud of team’s work which resulted in receiving the EMMY award, and it would not have been possible to produce the documentary without pouring our heartfelt emotions and sincere respect for the Jonesville residents as we created the film.”
Emmy recipients for this film include:
- Folklorist, WKU Public Media Director Josh Niedwick
- Artist, Community Scholar, and Member of the President’s Jonesville Reconciliation Committee Alice Gatewood Waddell
- Community Scholar and Member of the President’s Jonesville Reconciliation Committee Akisha Townsend Eaton
- Community Scholar David Greer
- Folklife Specialist, Kentucky Folklife Program Camille Acosta
- Director of the Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Folklife Program Brent Bjorkman
For over 35 years the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP) has been dedicated to the mission of documenting, presenting, and conserving the diverse traditional culture and heritage of the Commonwealth. Founded in 1989 as an inter-agency partnership between the Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Arts Council, KFP moved to its current home at Western Kentucky University (WKU) in 2012. Now part of the Department of Society , Culture, Crime and Justice Studies at WKU, KFP is physically located in the Pioneer Log Cabin on WKU’s campus. The Kentucky Folklife Program has remained focused on practical folklife and traditional arts projects as we continue to understand the evolving needs of local constituents throughout Kentucky, those who have a crucial stake in documenting the folk traditions of their regions. With our vantage point at WKU, KFP is always exploring exciting and innovative partnership opportunities with other organizations, universities, and folklife programs throughout the nation.
The Kentucky Museum celebrates all aspects of southcentral Kentucky’s art, history and culture. “Kentuckians need to know Kentucky” was the Museum’s earliest conceptual framework, which took shape under WKU’s founding President, Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry. Today, the Museum is a steadfast educational campus partner helping to inspire innovation, elevate community and transform the lives of WKU students and the region.
WKU Public Media provides public service broadcasting to the community, professional training for students, and creates and distributes media content that serves WKU and the citizens of Kentucky. They are responsible for the operation of WKU Public Radio, WKU PBS, The Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network, and WKU Athletics Creative Video. In addition, they provide video production services for the campus constituency and outside organizations. In addition to our professional staff, we employ many WKU students part-time, allowing them to gain valuable real-world experience.
For more information, contact Brent Bjorkman at 270-745-6261.
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