Black Women in the Midwest: Kokomo project revisited

In the mid-1980s, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Black Women in the Middle West (BWMW) Project collected manuscripts and photographic records of black women in Illinois and Indiana.

Kokomo was among a number of communities where volunteers sought out women to share their memories to develop a collective history of their lives and their culture.

On March 15, 35 years after this initiative was under way, the Howard County Historical Society will honor this work with “Black Women in the Middle West Kokomo Project Revisited,” a retrospective exhibit and reception to honor local participants.

The recognition effort is being planned by members of the Howard County Historical Society’s Oral History Committee, led by committee chair and HCHS president Sharon Reed.

“The BWMW Project was a significant effort, compiling historical essays, oral histories, biographical profiles, and document collections,” Sharon said. “Many Kokomo women were recognized in the book that shared the project’s results and we want to bring awareness to the project by collecting and sharing updated oral histories from some of the still-living participants.”