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The reunion of Kokomo’s Douglass School students was held Aug. 12 at the site of the formerly segregated school building that once housed Kokomo’s African American students from 1st to 7th grade in its walls. Douglass alumni shared memories and toured the building, thankful for newly installed air conditioning units paid for by donations to the project.
Rev. Dr. William Smith Jr., CEO of the Douglass School project parent organization Embracing Hope, stated that more improvements would be added this and next year to the building, including working rest rooms in the building.
“We celebrate the $100,000 READI grant,” said Smith, noting that more progress was coming to the future museum and cultural center. “Hopefully by next year we won’t have to use porta-potties.”
Considering everything that has happened to this facility, it is a testament to the determination of Embracing Hope and many others in the Kokomo community that it stands at all.
The building opened in 1920, and all black children ages 6-14 were required to register there to get an education. According to the Douglass School website, a visit from then-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was leveraged by Douglass Principal Rev. Henry Perry into government funding that culminated in Kokomo’s Carver Center, which resides just a block away.
Douglass’s closure as a school came in 1968 as a federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department affected schools in Indiana that were segregated. This suit was resolved in 1971 by U.S. District Court Judge S. Hugh Dillin ruling against the Indianapolis School Corp. Most Indiana school systems, including Kokomo’s, integrated African American students thereafter.
The Douglass building was used later by several educational organizations and businesses but fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition in 2019. Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight and Embracing Hope then became involved and started fund raising and trying to mitigate the decades of vandalism, wear, and damage to the building.
“We have raised over $1 million … and we are moving forward,” said Smith, noting that the Douglass School steering committee has been making connections with other local, state, and national museums to get advice on how to set up the future African American museum and cultural center.
During the reunion there were vendor booths, activities for adults and kids, plus a performance by the Other Left Foot dancing troupe led by retired Kokomo Center teacher Tina Robinson.
As the alumni pored over school yearbooks and picture albums on a table in the school’s foyer, their memories flooded the building.
“Remember to cherish this time.” said Smith. “And next year this time come on back to celebrate this great school.”
In a previous version of this story it was inaccurately reported that the State READI grant was used to pay for air conditioning units at the Douglass School. The READI grant will actually be used for new plumbing at the facility. The Lantern regrets the error.
Greentown turns 175
Greentown pulled out all the stops on their 175th birthday celebrations on Aug. 25-26 with food, music, comedy, and items from the Eastern Howard County area’s past.
After a night full of music and festival fun on Friday, at 11 a.m. on Saturday the parade started, led by the Eastern High School Marching Comet Command and followed by the present fire and rescue vehicles from the Greentown Volunteer Fire Department. The rest of the parade followed with Grand Marshals Eastern High School Choral Director Karol Evenson and retired Greentown Marshal Merrill Schrock.
In his usual role as parade emcee, retired Howard County Sheriff Deputy Craig Trott, dressed in his grocer’s finery, narrated as the parade participants passed by.
Included in the fire service vehicles was the very first fire truck owned by the Greentown Fire Department from 1947, a restoration in progress owned by Kevin Breish who, as Trott noted, vowed to have the vehicle running by parade time.
The Kokomo Park Band made an appearance in the parade and also played later in the afternoon on the Greentown Lions Club stage on North Meridian Street.
The Greentown Historical Society not only helped organize the events of the weekend, but were part of the parade, along with the Greentown Research Club and the Greentown Public Library.
The Greentown Main Street Association along with the Historical Society birthday events plan included the opening of a time capsule from 1998.
After the parade, the focus shifted farther north on Meridian Street to the Greentown Lions Club stage where Kokomo comedian Sean D. opened for comedian and Eastern Elementary School Principal Randy Maurer.
After the comedy show, Greentown resident, former Miss Howard County, and now country rock artist Keyton Romero took to the stage, followed by 80’s rock band The Checkered Vans to close out Greentown’s birthday celebration.
See these photos and more from Greentown’s 175th anniversary at www.kokomolantern.com or on the Kokomo Lantern Facebook page and group.