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Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

Overview Who We Are How We Work Partner Collaborations Our Supporters Our Team Job Opportunities Contact Us
Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

Overview Coordinating Programs Main Street Communities Collective Impact Awards & Recognition Community Evaluation Framework Join the Movement
Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

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Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

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Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

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Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

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Ratifying the 19th Amendment took more than 70 years and intense collaboration. The Preserving Women’s Legacy Grant program—a special suffrage centennial project for Indiana Main Street communities—was created to commemorate those years of hard work and to catalyze the discovery, preservation, and activation of places that tell stories about women’s contributions across the state. This initiative was the result of a satisfying collaboration between Indiana Humanities and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), the state’s Main Street Coordinating Program.

On August 26, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment going into effect, three outstanding projects were announced. In addition to project funding, grantees received capacity building and marketing assistance. Indiana Humanities, a statewide organization that encourages Hoosiers to think, read, and talk, helped ground the process in rich historical scholarship, managed grant review and administration, and lent its communications expertise. OCRA, which oversees the Indiana Main Streets program, gave technical advice and secured funding for the initiative.

Meet the winning communities and learn how Indiana Humanities and OCRA pivoted this fantastic centennial celebration in response to COVID.

Making History

Downtown Angola Coalition: Commissioning a life-size sculpture of abolitionist Sojourner Truth

Downtown Angola Coalition was awarded $40,000 to commission a life-size sculpture of abolitionist Sojourner Truth. In 1861, Truth gave a speech on the Steuben County courthouse grounds supporting civil rights and the Civil War. This sculpture will commemorate Truth’s connection to the city of Angola and serve as a reminder of the significance women and women of color had in the fight for equal rights and suffrage. With help from the public library system, the project will also include book studies and lesson plans about Truth. This project is in partnership with the Steuben County Commissioners, the City of Angola and the Steuben County Tourism Bureau.

"The sculpture unveiling is going to be quite a focal point of the year," said Colleen McNabb-Everage, President of Downtown Angola Coalition. The unveiling is scheduled for June 6, 2021: a date which is approximately the anniversary of Truth's speech on the courthouse steps. To bring this rich history to life, the Main Street program is honoring this unveiling with speeches from local historians and a reenactor giving a Sojourner Truth-esque speech on the steps of the courthouse after arriving in town on a wagon.

"We do have a lot of African American history in Steuben County," said McNabb-Everage. "We're hoping from our awareness of Sojourner Truth's visit here and time here, that those [stories] also will start to come out."

Michigan City Mainstreet Association: Creating a piece of public art to honor Naomi Bowman Talbert Anderson

Michigan City Mainstreet Association was awarded $40,000 to construct either a sculpture, mosaic or mural (based on community and artist input) in Charles R. Westcott Park to honor Naomi Bowman Talbert Anderson. Anderson was born in Michigan City in 1843 to free African American parents and became a significant suffragist, civil rights activist, orator, writer, and poet. The artwork will have a narrative format for all ages, and a companion to this will be the creation of an archived collection of biographical information about Anderson. This project is in partnership with the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, the NAACP LaPorte County Branch–Unit 3061, and the Unity Foundation of LaPorte County.

"With this project, we're hoping to have it be interactive, so that when people come out there, the young people will learn," explained W. Faye Moore of LaPorte County NAACP. "Maybe they'll want to vote more because they'll know it was a struggle."

Rediscover Downtown Peru: Creating the Miami County Woman’s Suffrage Trail

Rediscover Downtown Peru was awarded $35,000 to create the Miami County Woman’s Suffrage Trail. The trail will begin with a life-size bronze statue of Marie Stuart Edwards as a young teen standing by her bike on the grounds of the Peru Public Library. The statue, as well as displays and plaques around the county, will increase awareness of the role local women played in the fight for suffrage. This project is in partnership with Miami County Worth Remembering, AcesPLUS and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Starting in the late 1910s, Peru was the hub for Indiana's suffrage activity. In 1917, local suffragette Marie Stewart Edwards was elected the State President of the Indiana Franchise League, drawing state-wide attention to the activity underway in Peru. Women from across the state would travel to her community to train at her house, learning to become active lobbyists for the 19th Amendment. For a couple of years, even the local newspaper—the Peru Republican—was a central establishment for Indiana's suffragists; they are credited with printing out most of the collateral materials for the National League of Women Voters.

The buildings in and around this Main Street community that played key roles in this state-wide hub will be knit together with Rediscover Downtown Peru's new bike trail. "I think people that have lived here their whole lives will be shocked when they find out when they find out how important Peru was and the women of Peru were in getting the right to vote," said Jill Miles, Vice President of Rediscover Downtown Peru.

Celebrating During COVID

Downtown Angola Coalition receiving their grant at their kick-off event at which they were joined by Lt. Governor Crouch. Photo credit: Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs

Since COVID limited in-person events, Indiana Humanities and OCRA settled on videography and other storytelling techniques to make a big deal of the announcement. The partners set the goal of helping people understand the histories of the remarkable women featured in the projects, while also building awareness of the work and value of Indiana Main Street organizations. Here are some of the approaches we took:

Creating Videos. A videographer traveled to all three communities, interviewing project team members, shooting footage of Main Streets and capturing the distinctive spirit of each place. The announcement video, which premiered on Facebook, also featured Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, the head of OCRA and the chair of the Indiana Women’s Suffrage Centennial Committee. Each grantee received an extended cut focused solely on their community’s story.

Engaging Social Media Influences. Local historic preservation enthusiasts helped amplify the stories uncovered as a result of the Preserving Women’s Legacy Grant program. One such amplifier was Indiana-based historic architecture photographer, Anne Shaw, who took a road trip to photograph historic buildings highlighted in Peru’s suffrage trail. These photos were featured on her popular social media accounts, and helped share the stories with a broader audience.

Providing Trainings for Grantees. A day-long virtual workshop was held for the grantee project teams to arm them with storytelling strategies while grounding their promotion in Indiana women’s history. The workshop included a slew of Indiana-based experts, such as Sarah Marsom, a heritage resource consultant, who provided examples of historic site signage and activation ideas and brainstormed possible signage for the communities; Dr. Nancy Gabin, the state’s foremost expert on women’s history and professor at Purdue University, who gave tailored commentary for each project and pointed grantees towards existing scholarship and researchers to deepen and enrich their projects; and Jihada Garrett and John Thomas, two communications consultants based in Indianapolis, who shared storytelling tips and provided advice on how predominantly white organizations can be sensitive to telling African American history, given that two of the three projects feature Black women.

Ribbon-Cutting Events. All grantees were required to host a kick-off or ribbon-cutting event in Fall 2020. The kick-offs are yet another effort to build awareness of the projects and generate community support; the first of these events, in Angola on September 9, saw a strong turn out by state and local elected officials, including Lt. Governor Crouch.

Learn more about this event here and be sure to watch the announcement video featuring Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch.