For four decades, Steward Speakers has brought nationally recognized African American leaders, scholars, activists and artists to Indianapolis, creating a forum for intellectual exchange and civic dialogue while challenging the perception that the city is merely a stopover. Founded in 1986 by Matthew Steward, now a retired police sergeant, the series is known as Indiana’s oldest ongoing speaker series. On Saturday, Oct. 17, it will open its 40th anniversary celebration season with a daylong program focused on civic engagement, critical conversations and actionable solutions.
The event begins at 10 a.m. at the Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave. Admission is free, but registration is required. Registration is available at stewardspeakers.org/events.
For Steward, the series began with a question about access: Why should Indianapolis audiences have to travel elsewhere to hear national voices?
As a student working with the union board to bring speakers to Indiana University Bloomington, Steward first considered creating a forum of his own. After returning to Indianapolis, he identified an opportunity to bring distinguished speakers to a city he believed was too often overlooked.
He consulted several civic leaders, including Sam Jones of the Indianapolis Urban League and Charles Williams of the Indiana Black Expo.
“At the time, Jones held ‘Monster Meetings’ at the YMCA, and I knew he would have great insight,” Steward said.
“Not only did Jones and Williams believe in the idea; by giving their blessing, they also supported financially,” he said.
Steward envisioned more than a lecture series. Guests would deliver an evening address, engage in conversations with students and participate in local media, extending the reach of their ideas beyond the stage.
The goal was to create a space where Indianapolis residents could encounter influential thinkers and engage directly with their work.
Steward said he wanted to challenge the perception that Indianapolis was a place national figures simply passed through on their way to Chicago, Louisville or Cincinnati. He saw an opportunity to build on the city’s own history, including Indiana Avenue’s legacy as a center of Black cultural and intellectual life.
Over the years, the series has hosted actors, politicians, scholars, activists, entertainers and other influential figures, including Viola Davis, Colin Powell, Julianne Malveaux, Melissa Harris-Perry, Nia Long, Kirk Franklin, Steve Harvey, Valerie Jarrett, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Dr. Mae Jemison and civil rights activist and comedian Dick Gregory, the series’ first guest.
Comedian Amanda Seales offered Steward a memorable reminder of the importance of that access when she arrived in Indianapolis.
“I did not realize it was this many chocolate people in Indiana,” Steward recalled her saying.
Steward is opening the anniversary season with award-winning journalist, author and political commentator Roland Martin. The opening program is built around the theme “Black in America: From Conversation to Action.”
Steward said that theme reflects the urgency of the moment.
He pointed to the nation’s political polarization, debates over federal and state policies, book bans, public school funding referendums and proposed constitutional amendments as reasons residents need opportunities to understand the issues affecting their communities.
Steward also invoked the philosophy of Marian Wright Edelman, founder and former president of the Children’s Defense Fund, emphasizing the importance of children’s health, safety and opportunities as measures of a government’s commitment to justice and public welfare.
“Now more than ever we have to commit to our community, our children, our voice and our vote,” Steward said.
That commitment will extend beyond the opening day’s discussions and into the streets.
As part of the anniversary celebration on Oct. 17, organizers plan a commemorative march from the Madam Walker Legacy Center to the Indianapolis Urban League. The march will bring participants together in a public expression of unity, remembrance and civic responsibility, connecting the series’ intellectual tradition to a broader history of collective action in Indianapolis’ Black community.
Tracy Boyd, board chair of Steward Speakers, sees the march as an opportunity to remember the community’s history while building toward a future grounded in unity.
Boyd said the march commemorates the history and progress of previous generations while recognizing the obstacles the community has endured and overcome. Walking together, she said, serves as a reminder that moving forward requires a commitment to continuing that progress collectively.
The route connects two institutions associated with Black cultural, civic and community life. Participants will include members of the Divine Nine — the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities. The program also includes panel discussions and opportunities for civic engagement.
The gathering is intended to bring people together around a shared history and a collective responsibility for the future.
As Boyd emphasized, progress does not require abandoning the past. It requires remembering what previous generations endured, recognizing the barriers they overcame and carrying those lessons forward.
“Our forefathers made it possible; our ancestors made it possible. We have to protect history,” Boyd said.
Protecting history involves more than remembering those who came before. It also means understanding the struggles that made today’s opportunities possible and recognizing the responsibility to preserve them.
Additional programming is planned for the months ahead. In February 2027, the series will welcome John Hope Bryant, a financial literacy entrepreneur and businessman. In March, journalist and television news anchor Sheinelle Jones is scheduled to appear. Organizers also plan to announce details of an April gala and fundraiser celebrating the series’ four decades of bringing influential voices to Indianapolis.
As Steward Speakers enters its fifth decade, the anniversary season celebrates “A Lasting Legacy.” It honors a tradition of informing, inspiring and provoking meaningful dialogue while encouraging the community to turn knowledge into action. The work continues: preserving the intellectual and cultural legacy of previous generations while creating opportunities for future generations to engage, lead and shape what comes next.
Contact Health and Environmental Reporter LaTasha Boyd Jones at tashaj@indyrecorder.com or follow her on social media @iamtashajones.
Tasha Jones is a poet, writer, researcher, and educator whose work explores language as a tool for liberation and resistance. She hosts In the Beginning: The Spoken Word Podcast, the #1 spoken word podcast on Apple and Spotify. Tasha is also the Poems & Parables Literary Journal editor and is currently writing Pyramids. Plantations. Projects. Penitentiaries. You can follow her on social media: @iamtashajones, @itbspokenwordpod, and @poemsandparables.
