John,

Today marks the start of Black History Month –– an important opportunity for us to highlight the incredible achievements and contributions that African Americans have made to better our state and our nation.

Looking back at our Hoosier history books, it’s clear that Indiana would not be the state that it is today without the help of Black Hoosiers who pushed the boundaries, defied the odds, and paved the way forward in business, in sports, in music, and in so much more.

Today, Black Hoosiers continue to write Indiana’s next chapter in our statehouse, boardrooms, and classrooms all across the state –– but today, we want to kick off this month by recognizing four Black Hoosiers who left an indelible mark on our state.

Madam C.J. Walker

Born in Louisiana just years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and orphaned at the age of seven, Walker’s early years were marked by struggle –– but her story didn’t end there.

Walker went on to work in the hair-care and cosmetics industries, where she combined the right ingredients with her entrepreneurial spirit to create her own line of cosmetic products tailor-made for other Black women.

Like many others, Walker chose to do business right here in Indianapolis where she established a factory, a hair salon, a beauty school, and a research laboratory which helped her become the first female self-made millionaire in American history.

Wes Montgomery

Born in 1923 in Indianapolis, Wes Montgomery first got his hands on a guitar from a pawn shop at the age of 12 –– and the rest is history. 

Without any formal music education or the ability to read sheet music, Montgomery taught himself how to play guitar and started playing in local clubs where he caught the attention of other jazz musicians who helped him get his big break.

Montgomery went on to help define the modern jazz guitar sound of the ‘50s and ‘60s, recording over a dozen albums and earning a Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Jazz Performance” along the way.

Oscar Robertson

One of the greatest and most influential basketball players of all time, Robertson kicked off his dominant career on the hardwood at Indianapolis’s Crispus Attucks High School, which was an all-Black high school at the time.

Robertson led his school to back-to-back state championships with a combined record of 62-1 over those two seasons, and even faced-off against Milan High School, which inspired one of the greatest basketball films of all time, Hoosiers. 

Robertson went on to win at just about every level –– steamrolling the competition to earn a gold medal with Team USA at the 1960 Olympics and an NBA championship in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Jackson 5

One of the most influential music groups of all time, the five Jackson brothers first created their iconic sound in Gary, Indiana, where they attended Theodore Roosevelt High School.

After receiving rejection letters from multiple record labels, the group found early success after signing with Detroit’s Motown Records where they would release 16 top-40 singles in a span of just eight years.

But that was just the beginning of their story –– the group went on to sell over 100 million records worldwide, earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Thank you,

- Holcomb Crew