FRANKFORT, KY - On Nov. 14, 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear joined Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and the Kentucky Commission on Women to induct four new members to the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit, which is a portrait gallery honoring Kentucky women located in the West Wing of the state Capitol.

“What we choose to hold in a place of honor in our Capitol demonstrates our shared priorities and our overarching values,” said Gov. Beshear. “And here in Kentucky, we recognize the incredible contributions of women to our commonwealth. We recognize Kentucky women as important leaders and change-makers.”

Members of a selection panel unanimously recommended four women to Gov. Beshear for his consideration to be added to the exhibit. They are:

Alberta O. Jones
During her brief life, Alberta was at the forefront of change in Kentucky and Louisville. She was one of the first African American women to pass the Kentucky Bar, the first female prosecutor in Kentucky and she was also Cassius Clay’s [Muhammad Ali’s] first attorney. Alberta was a civil rights activist: In addition to participating in the civil rights March on Washington and marches in Louisville, she rented voting machines and held classes to teach African Americans how to vote. She established the Independent Voters Association and was an active member of the Louisville Urban League and the NAACP. Tragically, in August 1965, at the age of 35, Alberta was murdered – and to this day, the case remains unsolved.

Ada Limón
Born in Sonoma, California, Ada earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from New York University, but for quite some time called Lexington, Kentucky, home. She is the author of six books of poetry, including “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In October 2023, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, and she was named a TIME magazine woman of the year in 2024. In July 2022, Ada was appointed as the 24th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Her signature project, entitled You Are Here,  focuses on how poetry can help connect us to the natural world.

Amanda Matthews
Amanda is an internationally recognized sculptor/designer of public art and the space it inhabits. She is also a writer, public speaker, filmmaker and CEO of Prometheus Art, a Design/Build Firm in Lexington. Amanda serves as the chair of the Kentucky Oral History Commission, is a founding member of the Monumental Women of Kentucky Commission and is president of the board of directors of the Artemis Initiative, a public charity that seeks to elevate the status of women, children, minorities, nature and animals through public art. A commitment to fairness, civil rights and community is central to Amanda’s work, which honors the plight of those still seeking equality and emphasizes accessibility for all people. For years, she lobbied for the first woman to be honored with statuary in the Kentucky State Capitol and reshaped Kentucky history with her statue of Nettie Depp. She later created the Kentucky COVID Memorial, United We Stand Divided We Fall, located on the Capitol’s grounds.

Kim Michele Richardson
Kim Michele Richardson is a native Kentuckian and resident of Louisville whose storytelling captures the essence of her passion for the people of Kentucky. She is a New York Times, Los Angeles Times and USA Today author and advocate whose stories resonate with readers, transcending geographic boundaries and instilling a sense of appreciation for the culture and heritage of her beloved Kentucky. In her research into Kentucky history and women’s role in it, she learned of a Kentucky teacher who was the founder of the Kentucky Moonlight Schools and the first adult literacy movement in the United States in the early 1900s: Cora Wilson Stewart. She was so moved by what Stewart had done that she purchased a grave marker for her 65 years after Stewart’s death. In 2024, Eastern Kentucky University recognized her for her distinguished service to arts and culture with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.

“What an amazing group of leaders. Each has made a lasting mark on our commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “I am so proud that each of these women will have their portrait hung forever in our Capitol. Now, your images and stories will be a daily reminder for current and future generations of what it means to be an outstanding Kentucky woman.”

“The four trailblazers added to the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit highlight the incredible impact these women had on the commonwealth,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “As a mom, I often think about what kind of a world I want to leave for my two daughters, Emma and Evelynne. That is why this work is so important to me. As the highest elected woman in Kentucky, I believe it is my duty to not only elevate the voices of women, but to combat the hardships we face, head on, and to work hard to find solutions to those challenges. And that is exactly the work of the Kentucky Commission on Women.”

About the Kentucky Commission on Women
The Kentucky Commission on Women is dedicated to elevating the status of women and girls in the commonwealth, empowering them to overcome barriers to equity and expanding opportunities to achieve their fullest potential.

In response to President John F. Kennedy’s creation of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, Kentucky Gov. Edward T. Breathitt established a state commission in April 1964 to study and report on the status of Kentucky women. The findings demonstrated a pronounced need for a permanent agency to promote the improvement of women’s status. In November 1968, Gov. Louie Nunn signed the executive order establishing the Kentucky Commission on Women, and it became an official state agency through legislative action in 1970. The Kentucky Commission on Women became part of the Cabinet for General Government as an administrative body attached to the Governor’s Office in 1980.

In January 2008, Gov. Steve Beshear relocated the Kentucky Commission on Women to the state Capitol for the first time in its history and the Commission shared the same hall as the Kentucky Women Remembered Exhibit. In 2018, funding for the Commission on Women was eliminated.

When Gov. Beshear was inaugurated in 2019, he asked Lt. Gov. Coleman to resurrect the Commission on Women, and the Governor has included funding for the commission in each of his budget proposals. Unfortunately, the General Assembly has not supported this funding in its final budget bills. Currently, there are 24 members of the Commission on Women plus Lt. Gov. Coleman, who serves as an ex-officio member. They represent a diverse mix of personal and professional backgrounds and hail from all parts of the commonwealth.

About Kentucky Women Remembered
The Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit began as a display at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair that included six portraits of women from various backgrounds as a campaign to bring attention to outstanding women who had made significant contributions to Kentucky’s history. In 1996, the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit, due to the advocacy of the Kentucky Commission on Women, found a permanent home in the West Wing of the State Capitol and includes dozens of portraits of Kentucky’s outstanding women.