Equality & Civil Rights Champion
Written by Tawana Bain | Photo submitted by Amber Duke
Earlier this year, the ACLU of Kentucky announced Amber Duke as their Executive Director after Board members performed an extensive nationwide search. Amber is a trusted civil rights leader who was inspired by John Lewis at a young age. She has spent her professional career finding ways to get into “good trouble” by shining a light on systemic inequalities that disproportionally impact Black and other marginalized people.
“The ACLU of Kentucky’s work is more important than ever as we face unprecedented attacks on civil rights and civil liberties here in Kentucky and across our country,” Amber says. “The commonwealth needs a strong ACLU, and I am honored to lead the organization at this time in its history.”
Before joining the ACLU of Kentucky in 2012, Amber worked as program director for the University of Louisville’s Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research and as a news producer at WLKY-TV. She earned a Master of Arts from the University of Louisville’s Pan African Studies Department, where she focused on the history of Black female journalists. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Public History from the University of Louisville’s History Department. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from New York University.
Amber is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for her work, including inclusion in the inaugural class of the Kentucky Gazette’s Notable Women in Kentucky Politics in 2019.
