From Indiana's very beginnings it welcomed neither Black people within its borders nor Black children in its schools. Join the conversation led by historians from the Indiana Remembrance Coalition to learn about the barriers and breakthroughs faced by Black children in Indiana and Marion County.
In Indianapolis in 1847, Black property owners petitioned the legislature, complaining their tax dollars were being spent to educate only white children. Lawmakers responded – eight years later – not by opening schoolhouse doors to Black children, but rather by no longer requiring Blacks to pay school taxes.
What are more recent barriers here between Black children and the education they need in order to succeed? And who are the people – some Black, some white – who have strived to level the playing field?
Join the conversation led by historians Leon Bates and Beth Van Allen from the Indiana Remembrance Coalition, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering and acknowledging past and present racism and racial violence in Central Indiana.
Registration encouraged, but not required.
As the hub of the Indianapolis Public Library system, Central Library showcases renowned architecture and services. The original 1917 building, designed by Paul Cret and constructed of Indiana limestone in the Greek Doric style, was considered one of the most outstanding secular buildings in the U.S. Its six-story glass and steel-framed addition, designed by Evans Woollen, opened in 2007.
