Conversations in Indiana African American History and Culture
Historians, researchers, and educators share their knowledge of Indiana’s Black heritage.
Select Thursdays
6 p.m. EDT
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
In this recurring series presented by Freetown Village, historians, researchers, and educators discuss topics related to Indiana’s Black heritage, followed by question-and-answer sessions. Sponsored by Indiana Landmarks’ Black Heritage Preservation Program, Indiana Humanities, IUI Africana Studies, and Association of the Study of African American Life and History Joseph Taylor Branch.
View all upcoming Freetown Village events at freetown.org/new-events.
March 20, 2025
6 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
African Americans and Union Labor
Guest Speaker Nichelle M. Hayes, CEO, Hayes Consulting
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center and talk begins at 6 p.m. in person and online. Free with RSVP. Learn more and register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversations-in-indiana-african-american-history-culture-3202025-tickets-1235280590499.
April 17, 2025
6 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
Details to come.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center and talk begins at 6 p.m. in person and online. Free with RSVP. Learn more and register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversations-in-indiana-african-american-history-culture-4172025-tickets-1020685326287.
May 15, 2025
6 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
Slavery Can Have No Existence in the State of Indiana: Black Women, Slavery, and Unfreedom in Indiana, 1787-1830
Guest Speaker Dr. Jazma Sutton, Assistant Professor of History, Miami of Ohio, leads a discussion on the 1820 case of State v. Lasselle, in which Polly Strong, an enslaved woman, sued for her freedom and ultimately won a landmark Supreme Court ruling that slavery had no legal standing in Indiana under the 1816 Constitution. However, this legal victory did not end Black Hoosiers’ struggles for freedom, as courts and local authorities continued to permit slavery and unfreedom through legal loopholes and deference to white men’s claims over Black women’s labor.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center and talk begins at 6 p.m. in person and online. Free with RSVP. Learn more and register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversations-in-indiana-african-american-history-culture-5152025-tickets-1235282335719
June 12, 2025
6 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
Details to come.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center and talk begins at 6 p.m. in person and online. Free with RSVP. Learn more and register at https://www.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversations-in-indiana-african-american-history-culture-6122025-tickets-1249577793819.