Indiana Historical Society Celebrates Juneteenth with New Offering, Free Admission on Saturday, June 15

In honor of Juneteenth, the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) will launch a new interactive kiosk dedicated to Indiana African American historical sites and offer free admission on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.

Juneteenth is celebrated annually to commemorate June 19, 1865, the date that the last group of enslaved African Americans were freed by federal troops as a result of the Union victory in the Civil War. It is notable that members of Indiana’s 28th Regiment of Colored Troops served in Galveston, Texas and were there on Juneteenth. Celebrated for over a century, Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.

In addition to free admission, guests that day will be among the first to access the new interactive kiosk, which offers a compilation of details about African American historical sites in Indiana. Originally designed as a website, the information is now accessible via touchscreen to those who visit the Indiana Historical Society.

The research for the kiosk was compiled by Robin Winston, president of the Winston/Terrell Group, one of the largest minority-owned government relations, public outreach and community affairs firms in the nation. A major portion of the research work was completed and designed by Ms. Von Watts of 8393 Creative, a minority and woman-owned creative nonprofit organization empowering youth through creativity, character building and entrepreneurship. The kiosk is a contribution of The Charlitta and Robin Winston Family Fund for African American History. Their fund has helped defray the costs of several activities designed to highlight the contributions of African Americans in Indiana.

“This kiosk is interactive so that visitors will learn firsthand about the positive impacts that African Americans have made in Indiana.” said Winston. “It includes details on 89 sites across the state that hold significance to Indiana’s African American history and heritage, by virtue of the individuals, groups and events that called those places home.”

Once launched, the kiosk will continue to be included with admission to those visiting the Indiana Historical Society. It complements a wealth of material in IHS’s significant archival holdings documenting the state’s African American communities, organizations, religious institutions, individuals, families, and more.

“For decades, IHS has been committed to collecting, preserving and sharing Indiana’s African American history. In fact, some of these collections are our most frequently accessed—by both casual visitors and researchers.” said Jody Blankenship, IHS president and CEO. “We’re excited to launch this new kiosk, which is another valuable resource IHS can offer the community.”

For more information about IHS, call (317) 232 1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org.

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