When we contemplate Black History Month, the names of historic giants come to mind – inventors and businesspeople, ministers and activists, musicians and politicians – the kind of people who redirect the flow of history and inspire millions.  The people that have the most influence, though, are often the nearest – local people who tirelessly build up their communities, mentor others, and give younger people their first role models.

This local community has been fortunate to have many nearby heroes who have improved and shaped the city and county to the betterment of all.  And this has been true from the very beginning.  For example, Rev. James M. Townsend, born in 1841, became an ordained minister by the age of 18.  He preached in African Methodist Episcopal Churches in Indiana and Ohio.  He fought in the Civil War, where he eventually earned the rank of corporal before his discharge in 1865.  After opening the first African-American school in Evansville, he was elected as a Republican in 1888 as Wayne County’s representative in the Indiana General Assembly (the second African American to be elected a state legislator).  After becoming the Recorder of the General Land Office in Washington, eventually he returned to the Richmond church.  The Townsend Community Center, opened in 1921, is named in his honor.

Mary E. Hill, born in 1877, was caring for her blind sister in the 1940s when she decided that she needed to create a place where elderly black women could receive around-the-clock care.  Using her own home for the facility, in 1948 the Mary E. Hill Nursing Home for Aged Colored Women opened, and was expanded several times in the fifties and sixties.  After her death, eventually the property was bought by Wayne County and converted into the Mary E. Hill Youth Center, which was later absorbed by Wernle Children’s Home in 2001.  A scholarship for local students interested in the medical fields is named in her honor.

Leon Wheeler was the director of the Townsend Center from 1947 to 1965, expanding it greatly and working with Youth Projects Inc., to help youth in danger of falling into a life of crime.  A social worker and activist, he had cultivated relationships with many athletes, such as boxers Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson and Olympic track gold medalist Jesse Owens.  Recognizing the effect a celebrity athlete could have on young people, he brought Owens to Richmond to talk with children.  He also helped develop the United Organizations Council, to face community issues with racism and discrimination.

Alta M. Jett, born in 1920, attended college at Earlham and IUPUI.  She became an activist and office holder in the Richmond Democratic Party.  Later, she became a representative for the Black Women in the Middle West Project, which documented history in the states of Indiana and Illinois.  Active in her church, she helped shape young lives through Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and missionary activities.  In addition to her political and religious work, she helped with the Girl Scouts and served on the boards of the YMCA and C.R. Richardson School, among many others.

Etta Lundy has long been active in local politics and government.  She was an organizer and also an officer for the United Auto Workers, as well as the President of the Wayne County Minority Health Coalition.  In local politics, she has served on the Richmond Common Council and the Housing Authority board, where she was instrumental in purchasing the mortgage for the Townsend Center to ensure needed repairs were done and the facility remained open and a vibrant cultural nexus.  She has also been the AFL-CIO community service liaison for the United Way of Whitewater Valley.

Trevor Jones is an IU East alumni, graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Social Work.  Active in the community as a student, he volunteered with the hot meals program at the Christian Love Help Center in New Castle.  As a graduate, he was the President of the Alumni Association.  He worked as a case manager for the Indiana Professional Management Group, helping people with residential placements, therapy and treatment as well as the Medicaid Waiver program.  Recently, he moved to the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy in Nevada, where he continues to serve those in need.  Trevor was also interviewed as part of the Indiana University Bicentennial Oral History Project.

The importance and vitality of Black History is written large on the hearts touched by a neighbor as much as those touched by a celebrity.  Our local community has been blessed and deeply enriched by the influence and giving spirit of these extraordinary citizens and thousands of others like them.  This month, we honor them for how much they’ve contributed.

You can learn more at the library – resources for exploring African American history include the aforementioned Indiana University Bicentennial Oral History Project, other oral histories housed in the IU East Archives, our local databases, and books by IU East faculty.

Interested in discovering more local history for Black History Month?  You can Ask Us at iueref@iue.edu or click this button: