Conversations in Indiana’s African American History: “We All Just Did Life Together”: The Forgotten Story of the Black Southside of Indianapolis

Event Details

Throughout 2026, Freetown Village presents monthly conversations with historians, researchers, and educators to discuss topics related to Indiana’s Black heritage.

June’s program features Dr. Susan B. Hyatt, professor emerita of anthropology at Indiana University Indianapolis, and Beverle Miller Kane, longtime resident of Indianapolis’s south side and a Babe Denny “navigator” with the Southside US Colored Troop Coalition. Hyatt and Kane will share a forgotten history of the near-south side neighborhood.

Between the early 1900s and the 1960s, the near-south side 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, neighborhood residents—Black and white—“all just did life together,” as 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. Hyatt and Kane will explore the stories of these residents, their once‑vibrant neighborhood, and the project that reunited them after 50 years to share their memories.

The event, which includes a question-and-answer session, will be presented both in person and online via Zoom. Registration is required for both in-person and online attendance. Click on the RSVP link above to register for both the in-person and online options.

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 Indiana Humanities Mini-Grant.