May Day: Honoring the US Colored Troops

Date and Time for this Past Event

• Saturday, May 18, 2024  11am - 1:30pm

Location

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Details

Come join us at the Indiana War Memorial & Museum as we pay tribute to the brave US Colored Troops this May Day! In collaboration with GangGang, we will have a celebration for the anniversary of the 28th Regiment for the first time in nearly 100 years. This year, we will revive this program based on the oral histories of elders that remember these celebrations. 

The Indiana 28th Colored Regiment was stationed on Hosbrook Street in Fountain Square from 1863-1866, and in the years after the war, helped to build the Southeast Quadrant. From the 1870s to the 1920s, three Reconstruction Era neighborhoods in Fountain Square, Norwood and Lovetown had May Day celebrations. These celebrations were a Black Military Honor day because African American Veterans were not honored in the ceremonies across the United States.

This year, we will be giving an opportunity to honor and uplift these lost stories in Indiana History. Dr Frank Smith, Executive Director of the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, will give a presentation on the history and impact of the USCT across our nation, but specifically on the Southeast side of Indianapolis. 

Please join us at the Indiana War Memorial and add us to your plans for next year! This will be a reoccurring event.