Exhibit on Black Hoosiers coming to library

James Bennett, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·1 min read

Oct. 5—Stories about a businesswoman who fought for racial equality in Indianapolis, an architect who fought banking racism in Gary and a woman who sued her way to freedom will be featured in the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library later this month.

The Groundbreaking Black Hoosiers exhibit will be on display on the second floor of KHCPL's main branch from Oct. 11 through Nov. 4. The traveling exhibit is on loan from the Indiana Historical Society and will feature the stories of six Hoosiers.

"An important piece of enacting KHCPL's mission to create opportunities for our community to become its best is to elevate diverse voices," KHCPL Director Faith Brautigam said in a press release. "This exhibit does that perfectly, and it complements the local stories we digitized through our African American Notables project."

The display will be comprised of 16 7-foot panels that can be connected magnetically. Depending on how the library chooses to arrange the panels, the exhibit could take up 200-250 square feet.

The Indiana Historical Society notes the display is "far from an encyclopedic look at Black excellence or accomplishment" and is instead meant to give a handful of examples.

Amy Russell, head of the library's genealogy and local history department, said the KHCPL's African Notables Project could be used to supplement the traveling exhibit with Howard County-focused stories. The African Notable Project can be found online at collections.howardcountymemory.net.

An online version of the Groundbreaking Black Hoosiers exhibit is also available at beheard.ihs.yourcultureconnect.com/e/black-hoosiers.

James Bennett III can be reached at 765-454-8580 or james.bennett@kokomotribune.com.