Library Research Guides: Race, Migration, & Indigeneity: Other Features

Local Black History

Each February is Black History Month, and the theme for 2023 is "Black Resistance." For this feature, we aim to highlight both historical and current movements, events, and organizations centered around Bloomington and central Indiana's Black community. The content covered in this feature include major moments in Bloomington's Black History, media and news covering local Black stories and experiences, Bloomington's organizations and resources for more information, and recommendations for taking action on racism in our community.

(ID: A black and white photo showing two Black individuals at a counter with a cash register located within the Black Market.) Photo courtesy of Indiana University Archives Photograph Collections: P0022322)

Bloomington Black History Resources:

The City of Bloomington created a Black History Walking Tour featuring 14 locations throughout town including the Blair House, Samuel Dargan House, Bethel AME Church, and The Banneker School.
An Introduction to Bloomington Black History
Black History at Indiana University - Creating the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center

Next Steps
If you'd like to engage more deeply with Black History Month through library resources, the IU Libraries Arts & Humanities department has created a number of resources and features to provide more holistic coverage of Black history:

Black Histories & Futures Month (Media Studies)
The Sounds of Black History Month (Media Studies)
Black LGBTQ+ Poetry (Gender Studies)
Black Philosophy & Thought (Philosophy)
In Memoriam: bell hooks (Philosophy)
Local Black History (Race, Migration, & Indigeneity)
Black American Poets and Poetry, 1770-Present (Literature)
Black Freedom Movements in American History (History)
African American Voices and History in University Collections (History)
Contemporary Black Playwrights You Should Know (Theatre & Drama)
Performance and Protest: Theatre, Politics, and Activism in America (Theatre & Drama)
Black History Month Streaming and DVD Resources (Media Services)

Black Market Firebombing

"Early in the morning of December 26, 1968 The Black Market was firebombed, destroying the entire store. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a white male throw a burning container through the window and driving away. There was little doubt that the crime was racially motivated, as The Black Market was the only business attacked. The attack caused tensions to completely boil over in the following days and weeks."

Resources:

Kappa Alpha Psi

"Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter social fraternity, having been founded on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the third-oldest active Greek-letter organization established and incorporated by African American college students. The fraternity is a member of the North-American Inter-fraternity Conference, and a founding member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Kappa Alpha Psi has over 150,000 members with 721 undergraduate and alumni chapters across 46 states of the United States, and seven countries internationally."

Resources:

Kappa Alpha Psi - Indiana Historical Bureau

MODE (Modern Organization for Dance Evolution) and the First National Congress for Blacks in Dance

The Modern Organization for Dance Evolution or MODE is a dance organization that brought a dance conference called the First National Congress on Blacks in Dance to Indiana University Bloomington in the summer of 1973. The Congress invited over 400 notable Black dancers, choreographers, dance companies, and community members to Bloomington to celebrate Black dance and arts in connection with the Black Music Center on campus.

Resources:

Cecelia R. Brown (1974) The First National Congress of Blacks in Dance, Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, 45:1, 71, DOI: 10.1080/00221473.1974.10614122

IU Soul Revue

"Since 1971, the IU Soul Revue is famous for dynamic performances of R&B, soul, funk, and contemporary Black popular music delivered by its commanding vocalists, powerful horn line, and tight rhythm section. Students in the IU Soul Revue learn from the best in the business—from Bootsy Collins to Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds—and perform at venues around the country. Alumni of the Soul Revue are award-winning recording artists, world-class musicians, accomplished producers and directors, and much more. IU Soul Revue is a course offered for academic credit through the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies instructed by James Strong and a unit of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs at Indiana University."

Resources:

America's First and Finest Collegiate Black Popular Music Ensemble - African American Arts Institute

(ID: Five members of the IU Soul Revue at their Spring Concert in 1985. Photo courtesy of IU Archives Photograph Collection P0104617)

Black Centers and Organizations at Indiana University:

Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center
- The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center (NMBCC), a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs, strives to create and consistently facilitate activities and programming that challenges, supports, and contributes to the continued development and success of Black students within the Indiana University community.
Black Film Center and Archive
- The Black Film Center & Archive is the only archival repository in the world that is wholly dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making available historically and culturally significant films by and about Black people.
African American Art Institute
- The African American Arts Institute (AAAI) the nation’s only program that manages credit-bearing ensembles dedicated to the performance of black music and dance.
Archives of African American Music and Culture
- At the AAAMC, you will find materials covering a range of African American musical idioms and cultural expressions primarily from the post-World War II era. Our collections highlight popular, religious, and classical music, with genres ranging from blues and gospel to R&B and contemporary hip hop. The AAAMC also houses extensive materials related to the documentation of black radio.
Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies - College of Arts and Sciences
- Our department explores and contributes to the wide range of current research and scholarly opinion on the history, culture, and social status of black Americans and their African heritage.

Student Organizations (list by the Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center):

Academic Journals

Indiana University Journal of Black Student Experience - created by Da'Ja'Nay Askew, The IUJBSE is a creative and scholarly publishing outlet for graduate students from all disciplines to highlight their scholarship regarding Black students and their experiences within higher education contexts.
The Black Scholar - Launched in the USA in 1969 The Black Scholar (TBS) is the first modern black studies and research journal
Journal of Black Studies - For the last half of a century, the Journal of Black Studies has been the leading source for dynamic, innovative, and creative research on the Black experience
Black Camera - An international scholarly film journal, Black Camera constitutes a new platform for the study and documentation of the black cinematic experience in the world.

News Stories

"Making Change Loudly" Local Tattoo Artist Fights to Create Space for Black People in Bloomington by Ty Vinson - Indiana Daily Student

Black Voices Section with Indiana Daily Student
What It's Like to Be Young, Black, and Female in Bloomington by Morgan Newman, Phoebe Powell, Maresa Murray, and Sharlene D. Newman - IndyStar
It's been nearly a century since the KKK dominated Indiana, but Hoosiers see lasting effects by Taylor Wooten - The Indiana Citizen
Racism is still alive in Bloomington and southern Indiana, IU professor says by Cameron Ridle - WRTV
Growing Up Black In Bloomington by Elisabeth Andrews - Bloom Magazine
A Historical Presentation of Race and Racism in Our Community by Monroe County History Center (Video Below)

Major Black News Outlets Outside of Bloomington:

Ebony Magazine
- 75 Years of Ebony Magazine by the National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Root
Black Enterprise

Books

Lucky Medicine: A Memoir of Success Beyond Segregation by Lester W. Thompson
ISBN: 9780253065278
Publication Date: 2023-02-07
A remarkable, personal glimpse of Black student life at Indiana University in the early 1960s. In 1961, a skinny African American boy from Indianapolis arrived at Indiana University Bloomington determined to become a doctor. For the next three years, Lester Thompson kept a detailed, intimate diary of his journey to graduation. In Lucky Medicine, Lester returns to his long-ago journal and, with honesty, humor, and a healthy dose of rueful self-reflection, shares stories from his college years at Indiana University. Fascinating glimpses emerge of Black Greek life at the time, including the building of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity house and the successes, struggles, and social lives of its members. Lester's student years were driven by hard work, but also bustled with fun and drama. He recalls his time studying at the university library, falling in and out of love many times, becoming friends with fellow fraternity brother Booker T. Jones, a truly memorable invitation extended to meet with George Wallace, and an epic, no-holds-barred brawl with limestone cutters at the 24-Hour Grill. Lucky Medicine offers a closeup, unforgettable look at IU student life just before the sweeping social changes of the 1960s, when students of color accounted for less than 2 percent of the Indiana University's student body.
A Time to Speak: A Brief History of the Afro-Americans of Bloomington, Indiana 1865-1965 by Frances V. Gilliam
ISBN: 9780961577100
Publication Date: 1985-12-01
Indiana's African-American Heritage: Essays From Black History News and Notes by Wilma L. Gibbs (Editor)
ISBN: 0871950987
Publication Date: 1993-08-01
The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi: A History of the Beginning and Development of a College Greek Letter Organization 1911-1999 (5th Edition) by Ralph J. Bryson
Publication Date: 1991

Oral History & Historical Films

Elizabeth Bridgewaters Oral History

"Part of an oral history interview with Elizabeth Bridgwaters done shortly before her 85th birthday in May of 1993. This is one of a series of interview Duane Busick & Michael Connor did documenting the lives of African-American senior citizens living in Bloomington, Indiana's Westside Neighborhood."

Dreamers: The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi by Tony G. Williams
Publication Date: 2011
This film is an in depth look into one of America's oldest "black" fraternities. The story takes you on a journey through time, from the organization's roots in 1903 all the way to its present day centennial existence in 2011 with interviews, photos and never before told stories of Kappa's struggle to survive and fortitude to succeed in the face of adversity. The film also explores one of the fraternity's oldest philanthropic efforts, "Guide Right" with a unique focus on the mentorship and personal story of one very special mentee.
Reverend Martin Chandler: Open to the Moment by David Gudaitis (director)
Publication Date: 2019
He has never stopped sharing his love of music, commitment to justice, and passion for ministry with others. Learn about the fascinating story of native Hoosier Reverend Marvin Chandler, whose life not only made a significant impact on Indiana, but on our nation as well.