Madame C. J. Walker to be Memorialized on 6 Ft. Column on Georgia Street

Madame C. J. Walker will be among the inaugural class of ten Hoosiers to be honored with Legacy Awards on Friday, March 2^nd at 10 a.m.,  at the intersection of Capital and Georgia Streets.  Images and biographies of the historic figures-whose selection was announced by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard in December 2011- will be displayed on 6-foot-high columns along Georgia Street. Indianapolis Downtown Inc. (IDI) is coining Georgia Street as Indy's "newest and coolest" venue.

The Indianapolis Mayor's Office will be present at the unveiling as well as the Superbowl XLVI Host Committee, IDI as the managers of Georgia Street and Ratio Architects.

The first ten honorees are former U.S. presidents, Benjamin Harrison and Abraham Lincoln; novelists Booth Tarkington and Lew Wallace, who was also a Civil War general and U.S. ambassador; journalist Ernie Pyle; jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery; Shawnee chief Tecumseh; suffragette May Wright Sewall; entrepreneur Madame C.J. Walker; and the Lilly family, which founded Eli Lilly and Co. as well as the Lilly Endowment.

The staff and Board of Directors at the Madame Walker Theatre Center are thrilled to have their namesake, Madame C. J. Walker included among the initial Legacy Award recipients. "Our family is honored to have Madame Walker standing alongside such an iconic and inspirational group of Hoosiers," said A'Lelia Bundles, Walker's great-great-granddaughter and biographer. Ms. Bundles and other descendants of the honorees will speak at the unveiling. 

"Madame Walker selected Indianapolis as the headquarters for her growing business more than a century ago in 1910 because of its central location and thriving black business community," said Bundles, a director of the Walker Theatre board. "She quickly became involved in civic and philanthropic activities in the city. Today we are proud that the building she envisioned before her death now stands as an anchor for the Indiana Avenue Cultural District."

The Legacy Awards criteria-which were established by the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee-required that the honorees had been deceased at least 20 years; spent a significant portion of their life in Indiana; and attained national or international recognition through their accomplishments. The cost of each column is about $10,000, which is being paid by the 2011 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee. The Legacy Awards, Inaugural Class unveiling is free and open to the public. 

For more information on the Madame Walker Theatre Center visit www.walkertheatre.com.