Conversations In Indiana African American History & Culture 6/11/2026

Join us for our monthly conversation with historians, researchers, and educators as we discuss topics related to Indiana’s Black heritage.

“‘We All Just Did Life Together’: The Forgotten Story of the Black Southside”
A conversation with Susan B. Hyatt, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at IU–Indianapolis, and Beverle Miller Kane, long‑time Southside resident and Babe Denny Navigator with the Southside US Colored Troop Coalition.

Between the early 1900s and the 1960s, Indianapolis’s near Southside was home to a rich mix of communities, including African Americans and Jewish immigrants. During a period in the city’s history more often defined by Jim Crow segregation than by integration, near‑Southside residents—Black and white—“all just did life together,” as Beverle Kane recalls.

The neighborhood was dramatically reshaped in the 1970s by the construction of I‑70, and again in the early 2000s with the building of Lucas Oil Stadium. Join us as we explore the stories of these residents, their once‑vibrant neighborhood, and the project that reunited them after 50 years to share their memories.

• In Person: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. at Indiana Landmarks Center and talk begins at 6:00 p.m.

• Online: Livestream will begin at 6:00 p.m.

A Zoom link will be sent 2 hours prior to the event. Check spam folder if not received.

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