INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis leaders gathered Wednesday as the Madam Walker Legacy Center launched its final phase of construction on its rooftop expansion.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said, “I have attended many, many groundbreaking ceremonies, but this just might be my first-ever ‘sky breaking’ ceremony. I think that, alone, says a lot about the Madam Walker Theatre.”

The Democrat said it’s only fitting.

Madam C.J. Walker, who lived from 1867–1919, was a pioneering African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist who became the first female self-made millionaire in the United States. Envisioned by Walker, Indiana Avenue’s cultural district survived decades of hardship as a hub for business and entertainment.

Hogsett said, “This institution is one that has never been shy about firsts.”

The new space will open in May at the four-story flatiron building that once was the manufacturing plant for Walker. The rooftop bar with a capacity of 49 will have couches and tables where patrons can look toward the Indianapolis skyline.

Chris Gahl, executive vice president for Visit Indy, said, “Each day, visitors are seeking out, they want to see performances inside, they want to learn about the art and architecture of the building, and this exists already as a key tourism driver, and now to have a sky event space for meeting planners to book makes this even more attractive as we look to sell and market Indianapolis.”

Gahl said, “To be able to have a rooftop space overlooking our growing skyline and have it in such an iconic space helps continue the progress of our 5-year strategic plan towards 2027 when we will celebrate 100 years of this building standing in our community.”

Kristian Stricklen, president and CEO for the Madam Walker Legacy Center, said, “It is a beautiful view of the sky and all of downtown right here from Indiana Avenue.”

Wednesday’s ceremony followed an $8 million endowment to provide long-term support for operations, historic preservation, cultural programming and strategic initiatives.

As Black History Month continues, the conversation often turns to enduring struggles and cultural triumphs. However, in the halls of the Indiana Statehouse, City-County Councilman Keith Graves (District 9) pointed to a more fundamental truth: the very infrastructure of modern American life — from the traffic light that guides our everyday commute to the refrigerator that preserves our everyday foods — is profoundly shaped by Black inventors whose stories have been systematically overlooked.

“The successes and the value that they (Black innovators) brought to our society is lost over the years, and sometimes intentionally lost,” Graves said during the Indy Black Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch with Legislators event.

Graves highlights figures like Garrett A. Morgan, the son of freed slaves who patented an early three-position traffic signal in 1923, a direct precursor to the lights that now orchestrate global traffic. He points to John Standard, who in 1887 refined the refrigerator with an improved ice-chamber (‘ice box’) design, advancing the technology of modern kitchen preservation.

Perhaps most poetically, Graves notes the humble reservoir in the ballpoint pen, an innovation by William B. Purvis in 1890 that solved the problem of even ink flow.

“All these pens in here,” Graves remarked, “those are Black inventions.”

These are not niche footnotes; they are pillars of daily life. Yet, as Graves argues, the narrative of American innovation has too often been whitewashed.

“We talk a lot about our experiences on the negative side,” Graves said. “I want us to promote the positives that we brought to this country and to the world.”

This erasure has tangible consequences for the present. Graves, a financial advisor with over two decades of experience, connects the historical dots to a contemporary crisis: the stifling of Black wealth creation.

“We had the country’s first Black millionaire in this city,” Graves said, referring to Madam C.J. Walker, the haircare magnate who built her empire in Indianapolis. “And there’s no reason why we shouldn’t see just tons of examples of her legacy around our city. We see Irsay, we see Eskenazi, we see Lucas … but we don’t see Black families’ names on buildings.”

His sentiment underscores a central theme: innovation without ownership and recognition fuels inequality. The genius of Black creators was harnessed to build national prosperity. At the same time, systemic barriers often prevented them and their descendants from fully sharing in its wealth.

The fabric of modern American life is woven with inventions by Black innovators, whose groundbreaking work from the late 19th century onward created the infrastructure of our daily routines. In 1881, Lewis Latimer made electric lighting practical and affordable with his durable carbon filament. Frederick McKinley Jones advanced the modern grocery supply chain in 1940 by inventing the mobile refrigeration unit. This legacy continued into the 1970s with Shirley Jackson, whose pioneering telecommunications research laid the foundation for touch-tone phones, fiber optics and caller ID.

Co-author of “Foundational Black American Inventors: 20 Household Inventions You Use Every Day,” Theresa Almon knows how important it is to preserve Black history for people.

“Why didn’t we learn this in school?” Almon asked on social media. “The doorknob microphone, potato chips and so much more were invented by foundational Black Americans.”

OLED montiors? Invented by Mark Dean. The standing dust pan? Invented by Lloyd Ray. The modern indoor toilet? Created by Thomas Elkins. The lightweight military cot? An invention of Leonard Bailey. The keychain? Frederick Loudin. The modern indoor clothes dryer? George Sampson.

The list of Black innovations is virtually endless.

The councilman’s call is for a conscious re-orientation — in education, in public discourse and in policy.

“We need to be focused on creating Black wealth again,” Graves told the Indianapolis Recorder. Graves views events like “Lunch with Legislators” as foundational for building the alliances necessary to “protect success,” noting that “when we see Black people succeeding, we see the forces that be trying to thwart it.”

Looking forward, Graves announced his kickoff event for his City-County Council re-election campaign, centered on education, homelessness, healthcare access and Indianapolis’ crisis-level eviction rates. His uses his platform as a modern extension of the same fight for equity and recognition.

The story of Black innovation is not a segregated subplot. It is the story of the American pencil, pantry, and street corner. As Graves powerfully reminds us, honoring that history is not merely an act of retroactive gratitude; it is an essential step toward building a future where the next generation of Garrett Morgans and Madam Walkers can see their names — and their legacies — written into the fabric of the nation they helped invent.

“We should be teaching about this all year, not just one month,” Almon said.

Contact Multimedia Reporter Noral Parham at 317=762=7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more news, visit indianapolisrecorder.com.

INDIANAPOLIS — This weekend in Indianapolis, families touched by the pain of a missing loved one will gather, not only to grieve, but to take action.

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Woman channels sister’s disappearance into mission to help other families

The grassroots group The Missing Struggle was born out of heartbreak. Members say they know all too well the uncertainty, the sleepless nights and the desperate search for answers.

Five years after Katrina Overstreet’s sister Cieha Taylor went missing, her family held a celebration of life.

“It’s like having a funeral for someone when you don’t know if they’re alive or dead. That’s really hard,” Overstreet said.

Overstreet told WRTV what pushes her to help others who are struggling.

“Her. That’s the only reason,” Overstreet shared.

Overstreet founded The Missing Struggle to help other families navigate the difficult journey of having a missing loved one.

WRTV

“We print flyers, host events like the one coming up. We actually look for people. I have a search and rescue dog now, so we can go on searches,” Overstreet said.

She helps others while still waiting for answers in her sister’s case. Taylor was last seen in Plant City, Florida.

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“She dropped her boyfriend off around 4:30 p.m. on February 6, 2020. A couple of hours later, her car was found running, abandoned, with the driver’s side door open and her cell phone on the ground. We haven’t seen her since,” Overstreet said.

From memorial tributes to sharing missing persons alerts online, Overstreet says every action counts.

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According to the Indiana State Police, the most recent update shows 898 people on the ISP’s missing persons bulletin. However, state police say that number is typically between 930 and 1,000 missing people.

Tiffany Tyler joined The Missing Struggle after her own heartbreaking experience. Her youngest son, Zachariah Tyler, went missing in July 2021.

After four years of silence and searching, Tyler was notified that her son’s remains were found in Indianapolis. She joined the group, hoping to help other families.

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“We want this to grow, and we want them to know we are here for them,” Tyler said.

This weekend, their mission comes to life at the group’s missing persons awareness event called Miss-versary in Indianapolis.

“Before I began this missing journey, I had no idea how many people go missing, who to call or what to do. It’s just to educate the public, let them hear from families, share statistics,” Overstreet said.

The Miss-versary event is Saturday at The Intimate Space Indy on East 71st Street from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Overstreet hopes the event provides a healing space for those affected by loss and uncertainty.