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A few weeks ago, we got to sit down with Nick Clooney, famous broadcaster and father of George, and his wife Nina to talk about a black church that they bought years ago in Augusta, Kentucky.

After they bought the church, they discovered it had been founded in the 1830s by a formerly enslaved black woman named Sarah Thomas. The more they learned about their story, the more it blew them away.

Nick has not only created a non-profit to preserve the church, he has assembled a group of historians, many at Northern Kentucky University, and journalists, including us, to uncover more about Sarah and the church — and tell their stories. 

We’re working on a bonus episode now of the interview with Nick and Nina, but that’s only the beginning. We’re also collaborating with folks at Northern Kentucky University — including Black church expert Dr. David Childs and Dr. Brian Hackett — to create a documentary series about the African American and abolitionist history of towns along the Ohio River (“River to Freedom”).

That said — we need your help! If you’d like to make this episode, and series, possible, please consider donating to our 501c3 Urbanist Media. 

You can also support us via PayPal or Venmo. Please just note the word “Pod” when you donate. If you want to mail us a check, please first contact us at urbanrootspodcast@gmail.com.

Credits: 
Thank you to Nick and Nina Clooney, Carina Kolodny, and Dr. Brian Hackett at Northern Kentucky University. Your hosts are Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and Vanessa Quirk. This episode was edited by Vanessa Quirk and Connor Lynch and mixed by Connor Lynch. Our music is by Adaam James Levin-Areddy.