Events
Explore upcoming M. Denise Dartis events highlighting the work of Rooted & Rising Stories and Leave A Mark Press, including literary, public history, educational, and community programs.
Upcoming Events
Erasure of Black Voices
The Hub for Black Affairs and Community EngagementÂ
Visiting Black Intellectual Series
Presenter: Michelle D. Dartis, Ph.D.
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: Butler University, Dugan Hall, Room 234, 625 Butler Way, Indianapolis, IN 46208Â
Event Name & Description:Â The Erased History of Indianapolis: The Restored Life of Herbert Grisby Hawkins
Explore the erasure of Black voices through the remarkable story of Herbert Grigsby Hawkins. Dr. Dartis examines how historical research, archival discovery, and community storytelling can recover overlooked histories and restore Black voices to the historical record.
Herbert Hawkins’s Legacy on Indiana Avenue:
Memory, Place, and Community
​
Presented by Michelle D. Dartis, Ph.D., in partnership with the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis and Indianapolis Public Library
Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Indianapolis Public Library, Center for Black Literature & Culture @ Central Library
40 E. St. Clair Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Event Description:
What does it mean to be remembered? Through the recovered story of Herbert Grigsby Hawkins, this interactive community experience explores the rich history of Indiana Avenue and the Near Westside, connecting one family story to the larger forces that shaped Black Indianapolis. Through historical research, visual materials, storytelling, and reflection, participants will examine memory, place, segregation, housing discrimination and redlining, displacement, urban renewal, and the ways communities preserve—and sometimes lose—their histories. The program invites participants to consider how personal stories connect to broader historical patterns and what becomes possible when overlooked histories are recovered and remembered.