317 Project: In Crispus Attucks Museum, Black voices share Black History loud and clear
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The 317 Project tells stories of life in all of Indianapolis’ vibrant neighborhoods – 317 words at a time.
You couldn't hear much inside Crispus Attucks Museum. Not on a late Tuesday afternoon, even as boisterous students attending Crispus Attucks High School filtered out of yellow buses under cold and cloudy skies.
The museum, 1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., shares a common wall with the school's gymnasium. But for the sharp squeak of tennis shoes, the occasional tweet of a coach's whistle and faint shouts from boys playing basketball, all was peaceful and quiet.
Why did it disappear?This famous Hoosier painted a mural for Crispus Attucks in the '30s.
Still, Crispus Attucks Museum tells Black History loud and clear.
The achievements of NBA legend Oscar Robertson, who led Crispus Attucks High School to state championships in 1955 and ’56, were written large. Opposite its wall is a basketball gym. Poetic — with a flourish in every shoe squeak.
Intermingled with Robertson were other notable Black figures, like Indianapolis jazz great Wes Montgomery and the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Time travel is as simple as turning around. With a few steps, you walk into early Africa.
One exhibit delved into Ghana's Kente cloth. Dozens of intricate, geometric patterns whisper hidden stories, like "Obi Nkye Obi Kwan Mu Si," a patchwork of blue, white, red and yellow bars meaning "Sooner or later one could stray into another person's path." A message woven into clothing to practice tolerance.
More:In 1945, Black officers entered a 'white only' club in Indiana, forever changing the Army
Walk a little further and you'll hear the history of Black people as told by Black voices. Striking is a passage on the Civil War: "Northern powers, forced to liberate African people from slavery... to end southern economic power."
Forced to liberate... A reminder that, for some, ending slavery was incidental to preserving the Union.
Black culture: its contributions to music, medicine, athletics, art, and the military are tucked inside Indiana's first all-Black high school in the Crispus Attucks neighborhood. The museum opens 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue-Fri, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat-Sun. Call to make an appointment: 317-409-5281.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Crispus Attucks Museum: Black voices tell Black History loud and clear
