Featured Events
Circle City Classic in Indianapolis
This experience is for Black or Black-Biracial high school students. It's a Education Day Party that includes a college fair along with the Circle City Classic's Parade and Football game with the battle of the bands during halftime. This event is brought to you by the Community Education Coalition and "All the Kingz Men". Transportation will be provided. please register at https://forms.gle/Ea96vH1UQdZkHeLa6 Questions call Felicia Garr at 812-371-5255 or email fgarr@educationcoalition.com
BCPL Express Program
The Library has a new van for the BCPL Express program which provides free books to our community, as well as newly expanded services such as free printing and notary.
Cummins, Inc. has generously collaborated with BCPL Express to fill the van with new books, and our need is ongoing. Join us for a ribbon cutting and donation drive on September 8, 3:30-5:30 PM on the plaza. Books can be gently used or purchased from our wish lists through Amazon and Viewpoint Books.
Contact Sandy Allman for more information
sallman@mybcpl.org or 812-379-1278.
Bartholomew Co. Black & Biracial Parent/Caregiver Meeting
It's the most important parent gathering of the year about our present and future. Our children's education and our community. In appreciation of your attendance, we'll offer a $100 thank you per household on Thursday, August 24th @ FFY. There are two sessions. You can attend the one that best fits your schedule. 9:30 - 11:30 am or 5:30 - 7:30 pm. Funds are to help remove obstacles and barriers that may prevent you from attending this meeting. Also, we will have activities for the children. You must register, have proof of Bartholomew County address and any correspondence of the child's current school enrollment. Questions call me. Felicia 812-371-5255. Please share this information https://forms.gle/ECmZwCwU8DYhJeEq7
Umoja (Unity) Fun Day
This fun free event will help Black & Biracial (one black parent) students promoted to the 7th grade meet their classmates for a smoother transition to middle school.
iEngage: Youth Civic Empowerment Camp
Engage Indiana is a free five-day civics day camp that provides Columbus area youth with an opportunity to learn how to make a difference in their school, neighborhood, and community. iEngage focuses on developing young people’s civic and political competence and strengthening their community and political engagement through inquiry-based civics projects in which they research and act upon local community issues. Following presentations by local non-for profit organizations, campers in small groups, based on grade level, will choose an issue to explore.
Will be at Learning Center (IUPUC)
2023 Juneteenth Jubilee: A Celebration of Education
Our 2023 Juneteenth Jubilee will include A DJ keeping the day moving with music and announcements, a Juneteenth re-enactment performed by Yoruba Kikiloma-Mason out of Louisville. Our Bartholomew County Public Library will host three story times. The Columbus visitor’s will open the OneDrop art exhibit during the Jubilee at 3:30 PM, The Kid’s Zone will include Snow Cones and Inflatables. The health corner will have information about Diabetes.
For the first time, we will be honoring fathers in “The Men’s Den”, a special area where Dads can take break, we might even manage to pull off a corn hole tournament. Additionally, there will be two first time information/education booths; the Bartholomew historical society will be displaying Black History from our County and a select group of community members are hosting a red food booth, providing information on the significance of red foods.
Our closing ceremony will include a fun community tik tok dance, spoken word and a moment of remembrance.
Juneteenth Lunch-N-Learn
Join Ivy Tech and Community Education Coalition for lunch. We will discuss and learn about Juneteenth. You must RSVP. If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP at this link: https://forms.gle/3EdxEXsarWAnR2EJ6 Space is limited, only 20 spots remain!
‘Feel the Vibe’: Jazz Concert featuring Pianist Christopher Pitts
An evening of live jazz music celebrating Black History Month Columbus, featuring Christopher Pitts, an acclaimed pianist based in Indianapolis.
About Christopher Pitts
Pianist and composer, Christopher Pitts, is focused on connecting the deep roots of the jazz piano tradition with modern sensibilities through energetic performance, thoughtful collaboration, and aesthetic focused compositions. Christopher’s music stems from his eclectic mixture of influences from Jazz, Classical, Electronic, Trip Hop, Funk, Hip Hop, and traditional music from around the world.
Christopher joined forces with “Clint Breeze and the Groove” as keyboardist/co-composer and recorded their debut album and shared the stage with “Durand Jones and The Indications” and “Trombone Shorty”. Christopher has been featured with the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble on WCIR 88.7 Jazz at the Point, on 99.1 with local legend Rob Dixon at the “Mayors Ball” and at the Indianapolis Artsgarden with Sedalia Marie.
Christopher collaborated with visual artists, rhythmic dancer, poets, and musicians to deliver the story of Indianapolis’s diverse artistic community as musical director of “Convergence: Connecting Our Shared Experience Through Performance and Prose”. This program was nominated for the “Awesomeness Award” at the 2018 Spirit and Place Festival.
In 2018, Christopher teamed up with Robert Newport to bring arts and culture to the historic McGowan Hall in Indianapolis’s Old Northside. Christopher’s piano trio “CP3” hosts live music at the “First Friday After Party” and recently collaborated with Michael Graves and The Bridge collective to feature curated art for the event.
Christopher is currently working on composing music for the Christopher Pitts Piano Trio, who held a residency at Chatterbox Jazz club in the summer of 2019, and the Evan Drybread Quartet, who will complete a residency at Chatterbox Jazz Club in the winder of 2019 . Christopher is committed to using his art to further the jazz piano tradition through collaboration with the arts and community engagement.
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Black History Month Columbus is about celebrating Black culture, telling the true stories of Black history, and honoring the legacy and accomplishments of the Black community. Join us as we are creating a momentum for community healing through inspiring and educational experiences, and we warmly invite our neighbors from all walks of life to participate.
IU Soul Revue
America’s first and finest collegiate Black popular music ensemble
Come and listen to the IU Soul Revue’s dynamic performances of R&B, soul, funk, and contemporary Black popular music.
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. Learn more about IU Soul Revue here.
Free admission. No registration is required.
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Black History Month Columbus is about celebrating Black culture, telling the true stories of Black history, and honoring the legacy and accomplishments of the Black community. Join us as we are creating a momentum for community healing through inspiring and educational experiences, and we warmly invite our neighbors from all walks of life to participate.
> This event is sponsored by our event partner Ivy Tech Community College
Community Worship Service
Join Us
A worship service led by local Black churches fellowshipping together as a united community, celebrating the common ground that we have (our faith, our family, and our friendship)
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Black History Month Columbus is about celebrating Black culture, telling the true stories of Black history, and honoring the legacy and accomplishments of the Black community. Join us as we are creating a momentum for community healing through inspiring and educational experiences, and we warmly invite our neighbors from all walks of life to participate.
Free Black Movie Series
Free Black Movie Series at YES Cinema - Every Saturday through February
A selection of award-winning and impactful movies that highlight the works of African American actors/actresses, directors, filmmakers, and producers.
Note: Doors open 30 minutes before the movie begins.
February 11
Glory @10:15am
Akeelah and the Bee
@10:45 am
February 18
Devotion @10:30am
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Black History Month Columbus is about celebrating Black culture, telling the true stories of Black history, and honoring the legacy and accomplishments of the Black community. Join us as we are creating a momentum for community healing through inspiring and educational experiences, and we warmly invite our neighbors from all walks of life to participate.
Local African American Historical Exhibit: “And Still We Rise”
February 1-28
Local African American Historical Exhibit: “And Still We Rise” at The Commons
An exhibit that aims to give a comprehensive overview of the history of African Americans in Columbus, Indiana, detailing the Black community’s resilience, perseverance, faith, and love.
Free event, open to the public, recommended for all ages
Opening ceremony: February 1, 2023 at 4pm / The Commons
Speaker: Whittney Wood-Gaines, Program manager of BHMC
Unveiling of the exhibit
Proclamation of February 1 as Black History Month Columbus by the Mayor of Columbus
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Black History Month Columbus is about celebrating Black culture, telling the true stories of Black history, and honoring the legacy and accomplishments of the Black community. Join us as we are creating a momentum for community healing through inspiring and educational experiences, and we warmly invite our neighbors from all walks of life to participate.