The original Black Market was for African Americans to sell their own products. It was destroyed by a firebomb in 1968.
(FILE PHOTO: IU ARCHIVES)
Black History Month is officially underway in Bloomington with different events going on throughout the entire month. One of the main events is the Black Market, which will be held at City Hall Saturday.
The Black Market honors the legacy of Bloomington’s original Black Market, which was destroyed by a firebomb in 1968. Clarence “Rollo” Turner was an African American student at IU who opened the Black Market in the fall of 1968 to sell products made by African Americans. Just one day after Christmas in 1968, a local man with ties to the Ku Klux Klan firebombed the Black Market, destroying the entire store. The market was where Peoples Park is now.
In honor of the original, Bloomington has continued the Black Market during their Black History Month celebrations. The market features Black-owned businesses, creators and organizations.
“We have been doing this Black History Month celebration for over two decades, and certainly the Black Market has been an integral part of it,” said Andrew Shannon, Bloomington's Safe and Civil City Director. “And so we are glad to just be able to have the attendance and the participation from our local businesses and to just to be able to give the public an opportunity to come out and support the local businesses and give the local businesses an opportunity to share with the public what they have to offer to consumers.”
Rhonda Newsome, owner of Sky and Earth Studio in Bloomington, is one of the vendors who will be at the Black Market this Saturday. Newsome is a metalsmith and a potter who makes jewelry and pottery.
“This is a place for black makers and black creators to come together and share with one another and the community,” Newsome said. “You know, you're exposed to a lot of different art and techniques and culture when you come to an event like the Black Market, and you get to support an underrepresented community, and you learn a lot of stuff."
Other organizations at the market will include the Monroe County NAACP and Middle Way House. The full list of organizations is available here.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is a chance for different creators and community members to come together.
"It’s amazing just reading about the history and how it did have so much support [then], and even now, there's a lot of support for it, so I'm happy to be a part of it,” said Newsome.
