Interview with Judi Jennings, May 11, 2018

Interview Summary

Jeffrey A. Keith interviews Judi Jennings, an award-winning activist, director of the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and fundraiser for Appalshop, Inc. Jennings discusses her relationship with her Appalachian roots while growing up in urban Lexington, Kentucky. She also tells Keith about her experiences with class and race while attending elementary, middle, high school and college in Lexington. She talks about her involvement in Vietnam War protests, second-wave feminism, and class conscious activism during the 1970s and how these experiences influenced her career.

Jennings talks about her work with Appalshop and her many roles within the group. She goes into what it took to make a documentary that was nominated for a Sundance Film Festival award. Jennings transitions into talking about her life and upbringing as a child of a single mother. Finally, she details her time as a graduate student and the intense political climate of the Vietnam War.

Interview Keyword

Appalshop Sundance Film Festival University Of Kentucky Protests Family Personal choices Appalachian stereotypes Appalachian people in media Working class families Working class women Cherokee ancestors Bluegrass region Rural Kentucky Sense of place Cultural assimilation Political conservatism North Lexington neighborhoods Class distinctions Graduate school Vietnam War draft Stewart’s Department Store Racism in the 20th century--Kentucky--Lexington Racial tensions Intersectional feminism

Interview LC Subject

Appalshop Film & Video Documentary arts and culture Lexington (Ky.) Women--Social conditions Race relations Appalshop, Inc. Class consciousness Intersectionality (Sociology) Feminism Second-wave feminism Appalachian Region--Social conditions Filmed interviews Appalachians (People) in motion pictures Divorced people Divorce Appalachian Region Lexington (Ky.) Childhood Rural conditions Identity Assimilation (Sociology) First-generation college students Community activists Social classes University of Kentucky Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Political activists Anti-war demonstrations Protest and social movements Race relations--Kentucky--Lexington Racism--Kentucky--Lexington Universities and colleges--Graduate work Women political activists

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.