College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

By Parties Unknown, a WKU PBS documentary that explores the story of a lynching in Russellville, will be distributed nationwide this month with a reach of 246.5 million people.

“This is, by far, the largest distribution of any content produced through our facility,” said David Brinkley, executive director of WKU Public Broadcasting. “I am extremely proud of the time and effort both by Josh Niedwick and all other participants. This project puts the work product of WKU faculty, staff and students in front of approximately 247 million people in one month.”

By Parties Unknown was produced by Niedwick and Neil Purcell and involved 17 WKU undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of roles. The art in the production was created by Alice Gatewood Waddell. Interview content was supplemented by WKU History faculty members Dr. Selena Doss and Dr. Patti Minter.

The documentary explores the violent lynching of four Black men in Russellville in 1908 after they were singled out for supporting their friend, Rufus Browder who shot and killed his foreman in self-defense. This lynching occurred during a time when there existed a heightened awareness of unchecked mob violence in the South and against the backdrop of a black community that was committed to being treated as equals.

Seeking to understand the cultural and social context of the time period, By Parties Unknown highlights the events and the cultural climate surrounding the lynching through the perspective of Michael Morrow, community scholar and Executive Director of the SEEK Museum (Struggles for Emancipation and Equality in Kentucky), who has spent the better part of his life researching and tracking down as many details of the case as he can in order to chronicle and share the story for present and future generations. 

“When I first met with Michael Morrow in the summer of 2018 and he shared with me the Rufus Browder story I knew we had a responsibility to help him tell it,” Niedwick said. “The harrowing tale of Rufus Browder and the lynching of John Jones, Virgil Jones, Joe Riley, and John Boyer is at the heart of the WKU PBS mission, to educate, to serve underserved communities, and to express a diversity of perspectives. For the next four years we undertook one of the most reverent of opportunities to work with Michael to carefully construct a documentary film that shared this story and place it within its crucial historical and cultural context.

“Furthermore, the chance to include our student crew in all levels of the production of this work was both inspiring and encouraging as we cultivated within them the skills and sensibilities to continue this type of work in their future career aspirations.  Personally, this project and working with Michael has had a profound effect on me and my future work, clarifying my understanding on the need for this story, and others like it from other communities to be told and for PBS stations across the country to assist in telling them.”

Through March 3, the 90-minute program will reach 246,547,768 people on 186 channels through 191 telecasts. This includes 92% of the top 25 television markets in the U.S. Total coverage is 78.48% of the U.S. population and 40 states.

In addition to national distribution, WKU PBS scheduled three public showings in February – two in Logan County on February 11 and one in Hopkins County on February 15.

• More: View the documentary

Contact: Josh Niedwick, joshua.niedwick@wku.edu

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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.