Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Black Expo is for everyone
Posted by Abdul-Hakim Shabazz @AttyAbdul on Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 10:00 AM
When I came to Indianapolis nearly eight years ago to do talk radio, one of the first topics we discussed was whether the city needed to have Indiana Black Expo. I had a number of people call in and tell me there was no "white expo" so why should there be a black one? I immediately reminded them that there were several white expos in the city, they were called the State Fair, Indy 500 and the Brickyard. I offered to give more examples, but usually the callers would hang up. For the ones that stuck around I would cite things like Italian Fest, Greekfest and a number of other ethnic organizations that host activities and no one seems to have an issue.
I always tell people if you look at the term "black" and apply it more as an ethnic group than a race, the Indiana Black Expo makes perfect sense. So with that said, I recommend giving it a try. You may not think there's a lot that can benefit you if you are a melanin-deficient individual, but there is.
Are you looking for a job? Or know someone who is looking for gainful employment? Then you might want to check out the job fair on Thursday, July 19. Got concerns about your health or just need a quick check of your blood pressure or cholesterol? There is a health fair on Friday, July 20. If education is a major concern, one of the themes this year is education and Expo is hosting a major education conference. IBE is also hosting a number of events with the City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana to discuss business opportunities with both entities. Education, jobs, health, these seem like pretty universal concerns to me. And there are a ton of other events to appeal to just about everyone.
For those of you still not quite convinced because you are concerned about your "safety," need I remind you that IMPD, the 10-Point Coalition and a number of organizations work together to keep the mischief down to a bare minimum, specifically on that second Saturday night of Expo where trouble is likely to rear its annoying head. IMPD is planning strict curfew enforcement, which, by the way, is 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday for people 14-years-old and under, 1 a.m. for 15-17-years old. I agree that those may seem a little late, but until the law changes, that is the universe we live in and that is what law enforcement is going to enforce.
I strongly recommend you give Indiana Black Expo a try this year, if you haven't already. Don't let the "Black" part imply that you are not welcome. Because there is also the word "Indiana" which comes before "Black" which means all Hoosiers are welcome. And how is this for icing on the cake? I'll be down there just about every day either doing interviews, conducting a seminar or my personal favorite, working the door at Nicky Blaine's on that second Saturday night engaging in some serious people watching.
Hope to see you there.
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