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.
July 17, 2025
6 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
No Strings Attached: Philanthropy, Black Women, and Institution Building in the City of Indianapolis
Guest speakers Joseph Tucker Edmonds, PhD and Kim Williams-Pulfer, PhD will explore the history of Black women philanthropists in Indianapolis and how they developed a model of ‘trust-based’ philanthropy to build and control key Black cultural institutions in the city. This overview of Black philanthropic creativity and ingenuity throughout the twentieth century will provide important insights to contemporary cultural institutions as they assess their autonomy and sustainability.
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-7172025-registration-1378045072909.
August 21, 2025
6 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave., Indianapolis and Online
Indiana Women’s Prison History Project
Guest speakers Drs. Michelle Daniel Jones and Elizabeth Nelson will discuss the Indiana Women’s Prison History Project, a group of currently and formerly incarcerated scholars who research and publish original histories of gender, race, and incarceration in Indiana. Daniel Jones and Nelson will explore the process of doing history inside the Indiana Women’s Prison that led to the publication of their co-edited volume, Who Would Believe a Prisoner?: Indiana Women’s Carceral Institutions, 1848-1920 (The New Press, 2023).
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-8212025-registration-1404005581489.