Madam Walker Legacy Center to celebrate 95th anniversary with ball, concert, block party
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Preparations are underway for a three-day celebration marking the 95th anniversary of the Madam Walker Legacy Center.
The celebration will start with a ball and a concert on June 17. The concert will be headlined by Indianapolis native Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who will also be inducted into the Madam Walker Legacy Center Hall of Fame.
The events are two years in the making, says Kristian Stricklen, president of the Madam Walker Legacy Center. She adds that the celebration was scheduled to coincide with Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the end of slavery in the United States.
“It is Juneteenth weekend and it was very important,” Stricklen said. “It’s something that the Madam Walker Legacy Center actually chose in 2020 and so it took us two years to get here. We’re happy that we’re here and we’re excited to really reopen the center for the entire community, starting off with a ball.”
The fun doesn’t stop when the concert ends Friday night. There’s a brunch on June 18 followed by a two-day block party.
The block party is free and open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. June 18 and 19. It will be a family-friendly event, according to Stricklen.
“It will feature local musicians and DJs because June is also Black Music Month, and because the Walker has such a rich history with music, we wanted to make sure that we were able to highlight a lot of artists from jazz to blues to R&B.”
Tickets for the ball are sold out, but concert tickets are still available online.