Introduction:
The Indiana Black Expo is an historic local organization, which has been dedicated to honoring and displaying African American contributions to both Indiana's local culture, as well as the national culture of America, for over 35 years.
What started as a single annual event has now grown into a powerful and important social outreach and educational organization, holding events, workshops and lectures throughout the entire calendar year. The Indiana Black Expo also contributes several thousand dollars in annual scholarships to deserving local college students.
History:
In 1970, African American civic and religious leaders from Indianapolis banded together in an effort to create an event called the Indiana Black Expo. Its purpose was simple: to create a source of pride and leadership among Indiana's black community, both honoring African American accomplishments in Indiana and inspiring the community to strive for further success.
While initially a success, in the 1980's, the managing body found itself in financial dire straits. With help from the Lily Endowment, a consulting firm was hired to create a long-term plan for the organization, and today it's a profitable local leader.
Today's Indiana Black Expo:
Once an annual exposition, the Indiana Black Expo has grown from the city of Indianapolis to open chapters across the entire state of Indiana, granting scholarships to college students and holding year long events and workshops.
The original one or two day expositions from several decades ago have expanded into a week long annual summer event, called the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration.
The Summer Celebration includes job fairs, health fairs, music concerts, speeches by national black leaders and more. Past guests have included B.B. King, Muhammad Ali, Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and many more.