Soulful Journeys of Women is about more than just historical reenactments. It’s about preserving Black history and inspiring the next generation.
Created in 2022 by local educators Donnice Robinson and Tracey Wynn, Soulful Journeys of Women aims to educate, inspire and entertain audiences by showcasing the impact powerful and influential Black women such as Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Madam C.J. Walker and Sojourner Truth had on American history.
“Personally, it’s almost sometimes like I’m channeling Ida B. Wells,” Wynn said. “She’s such a strong figure, and to do what they did in the time period that they did it is something that we as modern day women can’t possibly imagine — even the clothes that they wore.”
Robinson and Wynn both have more than 40 years of experience in education and extensive backgrounds in the performing arts. The duo decided to start their own historical reenacting organization based around women of color after participating in a resident exhibition about Walker at the Indiana Historical Society in 2019.
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“We just didn’t want to see the story go to sleep, because we saw the response of the people that came to visit the exhibit, and we knew that they were hungry for this information,” Robinson said.
Taking what they already knew about Walker, Robinson and Wynn expanded their research to include more “dynamic women” in history, such as Wells and Tubman and Walker’s sales agent Mrs. Pinkston.
“We had studied Madam Walker thoroughly, but we knew we wanted to incorporate other women as well,” Wynn said. “What we’ve done is we’ve taken actual historical facts where these women’s paths have crossed, and we’ve developed a conversation that they could possibly have had.”
The conversations are presented in 45-minute “mini plays.” Robinson and Wynn dress up in full costume with props and give a background of these women and their interactions before diving deeper into the history “to find the relationship between the historical figures.”
Soulful Journeys of Women have been invited to perform at various venues around Indianapolis, including theatres, schools, Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, churches, libraries, museums, senior living facilities and other special events.
After the performance, Robinson and Wynn host a short Q&A to let viewers ask questions and learn more about the history and important things happening during that time.
“We felt that these women contribute a lot to American history,” Robinson said. “They were very bold, courageous; they persevered, even though different things were against them. …They fought back then for equality, for justice, for women’s rights, (and) various different things that are still relevant.”
Walker, Wells and Tubman “had a connection,” Wynn said. These women were influential in their own ways but were often fighting for the same things, were members of the same organizations and attended the same meetings.
“Madam Walker worked on suffrage, and Ida B. Wells was really big with the suffrage movement,” Wynn added. “Madam C.J. Walker worked on the Anti-Lynching League or Committee… And Ida B. Wells was really, really diligent in her efforts to get that Anti-Lynching Law passed.”
Tubman and Wells were also both in attendance at the National Association of Colored Women in 1896 — which Wynn and Robinson accessed the documented minutes of. From that meeting and several others that took place in the period surrounding anti-lynching, voting rights and abolition, Robinson and Wynn curated a conversation between Wells and Tubman.
Sojourner Truth also played a key role in the abolitionist movement, and Robinson and Wynn said they are currently workshopping a new conversation between Truth and Tubman to debut as part of their 2026 programming.
For Robinson and Wells, portraying these women isn’t just an inspiration for students or other adults who come to the performance, but an inspiration for themselves. The stories of women like Tubman and Truth and how they persevered and remained strong in their faith whilst facing overt racism, hatred and violence, reminds them that there is still hope.
“It gave me the courage to stand out and be bold in what I believed in, and also to know that I can make a difference no matter at what point in life,” Robinson said. “That just gives me joy to know that I can help make a difference … to help educate, to inspire and to entertain, but talk about real issues, hard issues, in a way that it can be received.”
In a time where the mere presence of Black history is being threatened in institutions such as the Smithsonian Museum, Wynn and Robinson said the work they do with Soulful Journeys of Women is vital and even crucial that they get “into as many schools as possible” to let kids know their heritage is important.
“The children need to know that these people paved the way for them to be able to go down the street, go into businesses to buy things, to not be limited,” Wynn added.
Coming up in October, Soulful Journeys of Women will perform from 2-3 p.m. on Oct. 11 at Hussey Mayfield Memorial Library in Zionsville, 250 N. 5th St., Zionsville, IN. There will also be a scheduled performance from 6-7 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Westfield Washington Public Library, 17400 Westfield Blvd, Westfield, IN.
For more information about Soulful Journeys of Women, upcoming performances or to book a performance, visit soulfuljourneysofwomen.com.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
