Western Kentucky University (WKU) President Timothy C. Caboni formed a Naming and Symbols Task Force in 2020, which provided recommendations that later led to the formation of the president-appointed Jonesville Reconciliation Workgroup. President Caboni established the Jonesville Reconciliation Workgroup during the spring 2022 semester. Members of the workgroup include WKU alumni, WKU employees, descendants of Jonesville, and individuals from the Bowling Green/Warren County (BG/WC) community.
The primary purpose of the workgroup is to assess the best way(s) to appropriately address the issues that remain from the dismantling of the Jonesville neighborhood. As part of the invitation to serve on the workgroup, faculty, staff, and community members were initially charged with the following:
(1) Add honorific naming of spaces on campus after Jonesville: The university will identify an appropriate and symbolic location on campus to recognize the importance of the Jonesville neighborhood area in the footprint of campus. We will also work to recognize those who were displaced and those who trace their lineage to Jonesville.
(2) Host an annual reunion/conference for Jonesville residents/descendants and WKU community: As part of their work, the workgroup was asked to organize an annual gathering to bring together residents and descendants of those who lived in the neighborhood with members of the WKU and Bowling Green Communities.
Jonesville Reconciliation Workgroup includes:
Mr. Brent Bjorkman, Director, Kentucky Museum
Mr. Michael Crowe, Director, Student Conduct
Dr. Peggy Crowe, Director, Counseling Center & Student Accessibility Resource Center (Chair)
Mr. Ryan Dearbone, Assistant Professor, School of Media
Ms. Alice Gatewood Waddell*, Executive Director, Bowling Green Human Rights Commission; Professional Visual Artist
Mrs. Michelle Jones, Associate Professor, Mathematics
Dr. Molly Kerby, Assistant Provost, Institutional Effectiveness, Academic Affairs
Mrs. Maxine Ray*, Folklorist, Former WKU Educator
Ms. Aurelia Spaulding, Assistant Director for Marketing Communications, Communications & Marketing
Mrs. Akisha Townsend Eaton*, Attorney
* Denotes a Jonesville descendent.
Former Members
Mr. Jahari Burnett, Mr. Joshua Hayes, and Dr. Saundra Ardrey (previous Chair)