Where we went to high school tells a lot about how we see ourselves and how others see us. Join a session where you and other local grads are challenged to understand identity by analyzing a century-old IPS high school pyramid of caste, power, and prestige through art, poetry, and conversation.

Though we might not think it’s important, when the question “Where’d you go to high school?” is asked, most people know why. Our answer identifies us, making public our social, economic, and cultural background. This is important for our city. Over the past century, Indianapolis created a divided and unjust system of schools sorting/ranking students by neighborhood, race, class, ethnicity, religion, and ability. This caste system betrayed Horace Mann’s promise that our public schools would be the great “equalizer,” a level playing field with equal opportunity for all.

Guests at this event will be challenged, via primary sources, art, poetry, and story sharing, to go deeper, emphasizing important connections to power structures and how we’ve all been used by the system to uphold those systems which have exerted control and influence over public education. Attendees will leave understanding it is worth their time to pay attention to the high school forces that shaped their identity and will be better able to identify current (and future) forces shaping local schools, youth, and neighborhoods.

5PM – Doors open. Check-in begins.
5:30-6PM – Poster board activity reflecting on IPS’s past and present (11) high schools
6-6:30PM – Welcome, Introductions, & Art Presentations
6:30-7:30PM – Small Group Discussions
7:30-8:30PM – Group Report Outs, Discussion, and Conclusion

Artist and poet presentations feature Dr. Monday, Kaila Austin, and Glyde Gaw.

On-site discussion consultants are IPS graduates Guy Russell (Shortridge), John Loflin (Harry E. Wood), Sheila Boyd (Crispus Attucks), and Dr. Thomas Brown (Arsenal Tech). 

A partnership between Charles E. & Virginia P. Vornehm-Loflin Center on IPS History, Kheprw Institute, Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Brown, Virgil Boyd & Sheila Boyd, Guy Russell, Kaila Austin, Clyde Gaw, Wyse Ra, and Black & Latino Policy Institute. 

Contact the event organizers at 317-998-1339 or johnharrisloflin@yahoo.com.

Walk-ins welcome, but registration is strongly encouraged by Nov. 10. 

Register below.