Latest news with #IndianapolisPublicLibrary
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Are banks open on Juneteenth in Indiana? What to know if you have banking errands this week
Juneteenth means a day off for many people, and a chance to celebrate the end of slavery in the U.S. It also means your banking needs might have to wait a day. Yes. It's the youngest federal holiday and rose to prominence in 2020. President Joe Biden declared it a federal holiday in 2021. The Federal Reserve considers Juneteenth a bank holiday, meaning most banks will be closed. Yes. United States stock markets are closed on June 19, 2025. No. The United States Postal Service is closed June 19. All Indianapolis Public Library locations are closed June 19, except the InfoZone, which is inside the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Many schools are not in session for the summer. Students and parents should check with their respective summer programs to find out whether educational programming is canceled for the day. Indianapolis isn't hosting a parade this year, but events are scheduled throughout the week to commemorate the date the last enslaved people learned they'd been freed: June 19, 1865. That includes a celebration at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 21.
Indianapolis Star
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Juneteenth 2025: Where to celebrate with food, music, exhibits and more
Several organizations around Indianapolis have plans to carry forward the spirit, history and legacy of Juneteenth across the next week. The holiday observed June 19 dates back to 1865, when enslaved people in Texas learned they had been freed two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Since then, many Black communities have celebrated the day, and in 2021, it became a federal holiday. To honor the day, here are several events that include art-making, videos, food, music and dance. Noon-7 p.m. June 21. Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 E. 38th St. The Indy Juneteenth parade was canceled this year, but organizers have invited the performers scheduled for the parade to play the fairgrounds celebration. The event will include a wellness circle, sip and paint as well as food and small business vendors. Indy Juneteenth will also include the following events: June 20-22. Madam Walker Legacy Center, 617 Indiana Ave. Three days of celebrations include the following highlights: 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m. June 13. Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, 1230 N. Delaware St. Free. $20 early access pass. After he took office, President Benjamin Harrison hired Black chef and caterer Dolly Johnson, who ended up cooking for four U.S. presidents. The event will include re-enactments from Freetown Village as well as a slate of menu items that show contributions of Black cooks on American cuisine. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 14. Indianapolis Public Library's Center for Black Literature and Culture, 40 E. St. Clair St. The center will host an author fair, activities and music by Nu Destiny Christian Church Choir. Tickets to the moderated conversation with librarian Mychal Threets are sold out. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. June 19. Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Ave. RSVP for free tickets. Indiana Landmarks' event will celebrate the impact of Black-built spaces like Lyles Station, Weaver Settlement, Gary Roosevelt High School, Allen Chapel AME and the Madam Walker Theatre. Poet and scholar Lasana Kazembe will give the keynote speech, and a panel will discuss spiritual, mental, emotional and financial resilience. 5 p.m.-8 p.m. June 19. Conner Prairie, 13400 Allisonville Road in Fishers. Free. Black-owned businesses, food vendors, a kids' zone, bounce houses, face painting and opportunities to learn about Black Americans' contributions will round out the event. Organizers include Fishers High School's Future Black Leaders Club, community members and the Fishers Arts Council. Conner Prairie also will have free admission during the day June 19. 4 p.m.-8 p.m. June 19. 10 Carter Green in Carmel. Free. The event will highlight Black-owned businesses and showcase artists and musicians. June 19. Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, 543 Indiana Ave. Free admission. RSVP at Free admission at the museum. 5 p.m. June 20. Crispus Attucks Museum, 1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. Free with RSVP at Author and journalist Paul Hendrickson; Eunice Trotter, Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame member; Robert Chester, curator of the Crispus Attucks Museum; and Julia Whitehead, Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library founder, will discuss journalism's part in chronicling and impacting the Black experience in the U.S. After the discussion, people can see the grand opening of "Roots & Routes: African Americans and the World," which explores Black resistance and imagination across the globe. 4 p.m.-8 p.m. June 21. Fort Ben Cultural Campus, 8950 Otis Ave. Free. Artists showing handmade work, food vendors, activities and live music will be at this event hosted by Arts for Lawrence. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 21. Eiteljorg Museum, 500 West Washington St. Free. Over the course of the day, the Eiteljorg will host jazz music, storytelling, a percussion group and a reading by Shonda Buchanan from her book about singer, songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone. 4 p.m.-8 p.m. June 22. Crown Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery, 700 W. 38th St. Free. Bring chairs to enjoy musical performances by Alaina Renae, Peyton Womock & Friends, and more as well as food trucks and vendors selling goods. 'Painting the community:' John Hardrick's art chronicled 20th-century Black cultural life Admission to these institutions is free on the following days in honor of Juneteenth: Newfields: June 19. Spoken word and reflections, wellness activities and art-making. Advance tickets required. Indiana Historical Society: June 21. Crafts, videos and more will celebrate African Americans' contributions. Indiana State Museum: and Historic Sites: June 21. Exhibits, like John Wesley Hardrick's "Through the Eyes of an Artist"; the documentary "Major Taylor: Champion of the Race"; dancers; drummers; musicians; and more. IndianapoLIST newsletter has the best shows, art and eats
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds to wind down certain Indiana naturalization ceremonies, block on-site voter registration
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts an administrative naturalization for the fourth straight year on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. New citizens, pictured in white chairs, received welcome materials complete with little jugs of milk in a nod to the Indianapolis 500 race tradition. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The federal agency that confers citizenship upon thousands of new Hoosiers annually is pulling back from naturalization ceremonies held in donated venues — to the alarm of volunteers who won't be allowed inside the 'in-house' alternatives to register prospective voters. The Indianapolis Public Library's Central Library regularly hosts ceremonies in its expansive auditorium, but after scarcely a month's notice, its last will be next week. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) told library staff that ceremonies 'will no longer be held in public places' in an April 17 conversation, library spokeswoman Mary G. Barr relayed. A written notice the next day said the cancellations would take effect May 22 and were 'due to a decision by (Department of Homeland Security)/USCIS leadership.' Under President Donald Trump, USCIS has stopped coordinating ceremonies in so-called sanctuary cities that limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. But a spokesperson confirmed that this shift is not related. Instead, the agency hopes to 'maximize use of resources.' Naturalization candidates can take their Oath of Allegiance at one of two event types. Two federal courts, operating throughout Indiana's northern and southern districts, hold judicial naturalization ceremonies about twice monthly. 'The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana annually provides USCIS with the list of ceremonies we will conduct for the next calendar year along with the number of citizens we can accommodate at each one,' Public Information Officer Doria Lynch wrote. 'The Chief Judge then issues an order authorizing USCIS to administer the oath to any citizens above that number.' USCIS representatives can also offer the oath at administrative naturalization ceremonies held either at agency facilities or donated venues. The agency's manual lays out detailed requirements for what materials USCIS can distribute, as well as the ceremony check-in process, program, guest speakers, participation by elected officials, post-ceremony voter registration and more. It also governs how USCIS should coordinate with external organizations and vet facility donation offers. 'Conducting administrative ceremonies in-house saves the agency resources by reducing the staff and supervisor time needed to coordinate logistics with the outside venue, conducting pre-ceremony meetings or walkthroughs, day of setup and breakdown, as well the time involved in conducting ethics reviews of proposed guest speakers and facilities donated to the government,' a spokesperson wrote. 'Indiana locations are not considered ineligible to host ceremonies,' another response read. 'USCIS will simply focus resources on in-house administrative ceremonies, rather than external.' In contrast to the Indianapolis Public Library, other organizations that regularly donate venues signaled they were unaware of the changes. When asked if it had notified such groups, USCIS didn't answer. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which has annually hosted ceremonies for four years now, held its latest one Tuesday. Spokeswoman Amanda Stanley wrote that the Brickyard 'ha(s)n't heard anything from USCIS.' While the venue's 2026 schedule hasn't been set, it 'would be happy' to host again, she added. The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site's July ceremony is still a go, spokeswoman Angela Tuell wrote, although the details are still being finalized. She didn't address the fate of future ceremonies. It's unclear if USCIS' withdrawal will impact ceremony capacity — or require the Indianapolis Field Office, where the agency already naturalizes candidates, to pick up the new slack. It's the only such location in Indiana, according to the USCIS office locator. The locator directs Region residents to the Chicago Field Office, but doesn't suggest locations in Cincinnati or Louisville to other border-dwellers. The Indianapolis Field Office, like other locations, 'routinely conduct(s) administrative ceremonies in field offices, at regular intervals, as frequently as is necessary,' the spokesperson wrote. The Southern District has the capacity to offer additional ceremonies and has already scheduled some smaller ones on an as-needed basis, per Lynch. But, she wrote, 'It is up to USCIS to notify us if they require additional judicial assistance.' She and Northern District Court Clerk Chanda J. Berta indicated they're not expecting changes to judicial naturalization ceremonies. But changes to the administrative variants could impede efforts to get Indiana's newest citizens registered to vote. Barbara Tully is among the small group of dedicated League of Women Voters' Indianapolis chapter members who volunteer to sign new citizens up after ceremonies conclude. They registered more than 2,500 naturalized citizens on-site last year, and have already tallied upward of 900 this year, she said. That's likely coming to an end. Asked if USCIS would invite organizations offering on-site voter registration services to ceremonies at the Indianapolis Field Office's 10th-floor space in the Landmark Center downtown, a spokesperson wrote: 'No. New U.S. citizens are provided with general information on how to seek services, including registering to vote.' Tully said the league floated a variety of set-up possibilities but got no traction. 'We tried to see if we could come to their office,' Tully recounted. '… It could just be two league people. It doesn't have to be like the seven or eight — or however many of us — here to register new citizens. And she said, 'Well, we really don't have the space for that.'' Setting up in the building's lobby or parking lot, meanwhile could get in the way of other tenants. 'We can't impede traffic in the parking lot, No. 1. We could be asked to leave because it's private property. We might have to be on the sidewalk. The weather would have to be good,' Tully listed. 'I mean, there's a lot of hurdles to just standing outside that stupid office building.' She noted that the changes come as Indiana leaders ramp up scrutiny of citizenship in voting. Legislation requiring proof of citizenship for those who used temporary forms of identification while registering to vote goes into effect soon — potentially entrapping recently naturalized citizens. The league has encouraged those Hoosiers to present their citizenship certificates to their county voter registration offices after July 1, but is also among groups weighing legal action. 'It's not right,' Tully said. 'You know, they've done what they needed to do to become citizens. They've gone through all the hurdles, they've paid the money, they've taken the test, they've shown all the documentation that they need to show.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Annual Black art celebration returns to Indy
Meet the 35 artists using their creative talents to celebrate 30 years of fashion in a new exhibit at the Central Library. Why it matters: The annual " Meet the Artists" exhibit is a cultural event that stands as one of the city's longest-running showcases of local creators of color whose creations might not otherwise reach a large audience. The inspo: Now in its 37th year, the program is curated by founder and 2024 ARTI Award winner Anthony Radford who took his love of art from passion to profession when he discovered the work of local Black art icon Joe Holiday in 1988 at an Indianapolis Public Library exhibition. Zoom in: The 2025 exhibit is called the "Pearl Experience," and honors the Meet The Artists fashion show that has been an integral part of the celebration for three decades. A list of the 35 creators featured in the show can be found here. What they're saying: "Meet the Artists is more than an exhibit. It's a celebration of talent, heritage and the stories that African-American artists bring to life," said Cordia Watkins, circulation manager and chairperson of the Indianapolis Public Library's African American History Committee. "Our goal is to highlight their creativity and provide a space where the community can connect with the art, the culture, and the conversations that emerge from all of it." If you go: The free exhibit is open to the public through March 29 during regular library hours. Central Library is open 10am-8pm Monday-Tuesday; 10am-6pm Wednesday-Thursday; 10am-5pm Friday-Saturday; and 1-5pm Sunday. The exhibit closes with a meet and greet event on March 28 from 6-9pm.
