Join Portia Sholar Jackson as she premieres “A Celebration of Family, Unity, Faith, and Love.” In this story, Sholar Jackson will share her experiences as an African American growing up in Indiana and experiencing the joys of the Indy 500, visiting the L.S. Ayres Tea Room, riding the train at Christmas, and camping at Monroe Reservoir. Often, she was very aware of being the only Black family there, especially on trips to The Children’s Museum and Indiana State Museum with her grandmother.

“I want this story to illustrate that though we are different, we are all the same. Most people do not look at the Black experience, unless it is a famous and noteworthy individual. My family are everyday, educated, working-class people. We enjoy life. Despite the walls of places we couldn’t go and couldn’t be, we prevailed to do such things, just like others. We’re all a family under one sky, and though we have been divided by the color of our skin, the richness of our shared experiences are the same.”

Immediately following the performance, we will host a launch party for our latest book, “From Stage to Page: Stories from the Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellowship.” Eighteen storytellers contributed their stories for the book. Many of them will be there to autograph your book.

The Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellowship and the book are made possible by the generosity of Frank and Katrina Basile.