Conversations in Indiana African American History and Culture: Leon Bates

Event Details

Throughout 2023, Freetown Village will host monthly conversations with historians, researchers and educators to discuss topics related to Indiana’s Black heritage.

The June speaker will be Leon Bates, military veteran and urban historian. He will discuss early Black Indiana and the lynching of John Tucker. Most people think of lynching as a problem of the old Confederate south. However, on July 4, 1845, at two in the afternoon, an unarmed freeman of color was bludgeoned to death in Indianapolis at the intersection of Illinois and Washington Streets—as more than 100 people watched the violence unfold .

To reserve tickets, click on the RSVP link above. In addition to the in-person program, Freetown Village is offering an online viewing option.

For more information, visit Freetown Village’s website at www.freetown.org, email info@freetownvillage.org or call 317.631.1870.

This program received support from an INcommon Grant through Indiana Humanities and the Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate. Additional sponsors include Indiana Landmarks’ Black Heritage Preservation Program, IUPUI’s Africana Studies program and the Association of the Study of African American Life and History’s Joseph Taylor branch.