Municipalities have often relied on its citizenry to help develop and/or improve their communities.  Citizen involvement has helped create better neighborhoods and ensured that development efforts responded to community needs; it also created a cadre of energetic and skilled leaders, able to seize opportunities to advance neighborhood interests and make a lasting impact on their communities. This story can be told in every city across the land.  It is especially true of many of the members – past and present – of Indianapolis Alumni and the impact that their efforts – large and small – have had on the city.

 

Since 1920, the history of Indianapolis is rich with the contributions of Kappa men. While there are many accomplishments that could be mentioned here, below we highlight the contributions of four members of Indianapolis Alumni - Elder Watson Diggs, Julian D. Coleman, Walter and Cleo Blackburn.

 

An educator by profession, he taught in the public schools of Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was elevated to a principalship.  After his death, the name of the school where he taught was changed to the “Elder Diggs School” in his memory. 

 

Julian D. Coleman was an educator in the Indianapolis Public Schools for many years.  He was well-known and beloved by many.  After his many years of service, including a time as Vice Principal at Crispus Attucks High School, school #110 was named in honor of his service and contribution to the school system.

 

The Indianapolis Artsgarden provides a magnificent environment for more than 300 free performances and exhibits each year, and houses the city’s only centralized cultural concierge information service.  The seven-story-tall glass enclosed structure offers a spectacular view of the city.

 

Located above the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets in downtown Indianapolis, the Artsgarden connects to the Embassy Suites complex, the Conrad Hotel, and Circle Centre Mall.  It is linked by the indoor skywalk to the Hyatt Regency, Canterbury, Omni, Westin and Marriott hotels as well as the Indianapolis Convention Center and RCA Dome.

 

The Artsgarden was designed by noted architect, Walter S. Blackburn. He was founder and president of Blackburn Architects until his untimely death. In addition to the Artsgarden, his impact on Central Indiana is seen in his designs of the African-American Cultural Center on the Purdue campus and the Malcolm X Institute at Wabash College.

 

In 1936, Cleo Blackburn began his tenure as Superintendent of Flanner House. The purpose of the organization was to promote the social, moral, and physical welfare of the African-American community through the establishment and maintenance of academic and vocational education and self-help programs benefiting the surrounding community. Blackburn's primary goals included teaching individuals to help themselves, to develop the best elements in their own culture, and to achieve economic and social progress. Under his leadership as Superintendent (1936-1975), a new facility was built and opened in 1944 at 16th and Missouri Streets (333 West 16th Street) as a result of the "Indianapolis Study." This study, an analysis of the city's black population, began in 1937 with a grant from the Indianapolis Foundation.

 

Cleo Blackburn developed several dynamic programs that gave Flanner House national attention. Among those was his self-help housing project that began in 1946 called Flanner Homes, Inc. The project became a national model for providing local and federal funding to help low-income black war veterans (the first project participants) build their own homes. Developed with the support of the American Friends Service Committee, the Marshall Field Foundation, and Rosenwald Fund Support Division of Self-Help the project helped revitalize the homes of the area while participants received free training house construction.

 

Today, the Black Health Center, located just north of the existing home of Flanner House, serves as a moment to Cleo Blackburn and the contributions that he gave to Indiannapolis.