I grew up in Terre Haute. I would occasionally visit relatives in Indianapolis during Black Expo. As a little girl, I vividly recall attending the outdoor concert with family. And later as a teenager, I would ride up with friends to hang out on 38th Street during Black Expo. Both unique experiences involved spaces where Black people would come to enjoy each other, our culture and every aspect of our Blackness — whether it was among tens of thousands in a park in front of a large stage with national recording artists or from the hoods of our cars rockin’ to the base and sounds of music. My childhood Black Expo visits were my first experiences of the richness of Black culture that IBE ensured was highlighted in Indianapolis. I would later understand the importance of showcasing Black excellence and culture in Indiana.
Related: Summer Celebration returns with concert, conferences and more
But when I became involved with IBE (as its lawyer at 24, board member at 26 and president at 32), I quickly discovered that the Summer Celebration or Black Expo that I experienced when I was a little girl was only a small segment of the full array of festivities on the calendar. For 10 days, Summer Celebration brings together stakeholders to address historic racial disparities in income, education and health. And while we utilize this venue to respond to critical community needs, we also uplift our Blackness and celebrate our heritage, culture and accomplishments by showcasing Black excellence.
Summer Celebration begins and ends with praise and worship with our Ecumenical Service on July 7 at Grace Apostolic Church and Gospel Explosion on July 17 at the Indiana Convention Center.
To help eliminate barriers that make it difficult for Black-owned businesses to gain access to resources, funding, training and technical assistance necessary for them to grow and thrive, IBE offers a free Business Conference focused on growing our businesses. The goal is to advance business growth in our communities to reduce the racial wealth gap.
For 15 years, our Education Conference has provided professional development to educators on how to improve outcomes for students of color. The goal is to ensure effective, safe and inclusive learning environments, to advance policies and practices that properly protect our children, and to ensure our children develop valuable skills and knowledge to help them live a quality life.
This year, more than 100 middle and high school students will participate in our Youth Entrepreneur Series. More than 250 middle and high school students will participate in our Youth Leadership Summit with a full weekend focused on leadership development and careers. We aim to build a larger pipeline for young entrepreneurs, strengthen our youth’s sense of identity, help them reach their full potential and instill in them a desire to give back to their communities.
Our exhibition hall in the Indiana Convention Center features a newly branded Black Wall Street Zone full of Black-owned businesses, Cultural Arts Pavilion with a gallery of art by talented Black artists and a collaborative of our arts institutions, a health fair that offers more than $2,500 worth of free screenings, and our Performing Arts Academy on location where youth can participate in music production, dance, acting and enjoy a silent disco party. Our full calendar can be accessed online.
We invite the community to come and experience the full calendar of Summer Celebration. We hope you will join us at the outdoor concert as we celebrate our culture, enjoy legendary music and a great summer vibe. But we hope you can also join us for our other events and programs designed to uplift our community socially and economically.
Tanya McKinzie is president and CEO of Indiana Black Expo.
