Indiana Historical Society Celebrates Black History Month

The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is proud to commemorate Black History Month with several insightful workshops and programs throughout the month of February.

On Feb. 25, the IHS is hosting That Sounds Like Black Excellence, a homeschool workshop suggested for grades five through 12. In this workshop, participants will learn about the role of music in early 20^th century African American history, discover Indiana’s connection to the Harlem Renaissance, and explore how music and emotions are connected through art.

Additionally, on Feb. 27, IHS will host a panel on how the virtuosity of Black artists in Indiana has impacted the Black experience nationwide. Poets Mari Evans and Etheridge Knight, jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery and the monumental educational impact of the McArthur Conservatory (1946-1963) will be highlighted in this panel discussion. The arts convey messages of hope, pride and resistance. In a state which practiced de facto segregation, the featured figures and organizations embodied an unrivaled legacy.

The Impact of Indiana’s Black Artists Panel will feature:

• Susan L. Hall-Dotson– African American Collections Curator, Indiana Historical Society
• Les Etienne– Assistant Professor in Africana Studies, and current president and member of the Joseph Taylor Branch of ASALH
• Nichelle M. Hayes MPA, MLS– recently appointed as Interim Executive Director of Hurston Wright Foundation which supports Black Writer’s and CEO of Hayes Consulting
• Kisha Tandy– Curator of Social History, Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.

The panel presentation is presented by The Charlitta and Robin Winston Family Fund for African American History with support by the Joseph Taylor Branch of ASALH.

IHS’s RESIST! exhibit is open Monday-Saturday and seeks to help visitors understand key questions and realities around the Ku Klux Klan’s (KKK) rise to power in Indiana. It also features how people resisted and raised questions about how to combat hate. This exhibition explores these broad themes by looking at the surrounding context of the pivotal event of the KKK’s rally in South Bend, Indiana, and its major flashpoint between the Notre Dame community.

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