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Voices from the IU Bicentennial Indiana University

Mari Evans: The Poetry of a Hoosier Life

Posted on by sajacobi

By: Arielle Pare, Bicentennial Intern, Class of 2021, International Studies, French, Bloomington
Edited by: Ellie Kaverman and Bre Anne Briskey, Bicentennial Graduate Assistants

I Am A Black Woman by Mari Evans 1970

For nearly 70 years, Indiana was home to “one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement,” Mari Evans.[1] While Evans’ poetry is known worldwide, she also earned a reputation as a playwright, composer, musician, author, and activist whose work has been anthologized in over 400 collections.[2]

Evans’ work often tackled subjects such as racial and gender disparities both in Indianapolis and throughout greater society.[3] She was writer-in-residence and an assistant professor at both IUPUI and IU Bloomington and used her affiliation with IU to urge social progress in numerous Hoosier communities.[4]

Early Education and Life

Mari Evans was born on July 16, 1923 in Toledo, OH.[5] Her mother died when Evans was a young child. During her youth, her father encouraged her to begin writing.[6]

In 1939, she enrolled at the University of Toledo to pursue fashion design. However, Evans dropped out of the university in 1941 to pursue a career in jazz. She first moved to the East Coast, where she performed with jazz musicians such as Wes Montgomery, an Indianapolis native. Evans moved to Indianapolis in 1947, where she remained for the rest of her life.[7]

When Evans arrived in Indianapolis in 1947, she worked a variety of different jobs. During the 1950s she worked with the Indiana Housing Authority and the U.S. Civil Service. Evans became a dominant figure in the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s.[8]

Coming to Indiana University

Evans began working for Indiana University in 1969, when she was appointed as writer-in-residence at IUPUI.[9] She taught courses such as “Black Literature: An Overview” and “Recent Black American Writing,” as well as a seminar called “Black Literary Tradition.”[10]

The Black Student Union protesting discriminatory racial practices on the IUPUI campus, 1971. Courtesy of IUPUI Special Collections and Archives

During her time at IUPUI, Evans worked closely with the Black Student Union, which some considered to be “the most significant organization on campus” at the time.[11] In March 1970, she helped the group organize a “Black Celebration” which recognized the contributions of people of color to the arts and other facets of society.

Joseph T. Taylor, dean of IUPUI from 1967-70, acknowledged Evans’ contribution to the event, “With the expert help of Indianapolis poet Mari Evans, our writer-in-residence, the students [of the Black Student Union] have organized an impressive program.” [12]

In 1971, Evans began work at IU Bloomington as a writer-in-residence and assistant professor of African American Studies. She taught courses such as “Early and Contemporary Black Literature and Poetry.”[13]

She also taught at other universities during this decade, including Northwestern University (1972-73) and Purdue University (1978-80).[14] Despite her fame as a writer, Evans felt apprehensive about teaching writing courses to college students for fear of “tampering with the natural creative flow of another human being.”[15]

An undated photo of Mari Evans. Courtesy of Emory University Special Collections and Archives

While Evans was at IUPUI she became close friends with William Plater. They co-taught a course called “Social Uses of Literature,” in which students read some of Evans’ work. The course was intended to help “shape cultural understanding” about social and racial issues.[16]

In this course, Evans combined her passions for writing and political activity as she demonstrated her commitment to the university. Plater stated that she was “very generous with her time” at IUPUI, while holding the campus accountable for the social grievances that the Indianapolis Black community experienced.[17]

Although Evans left IU in 1978, her contribution to the university community transcended her official time as a professor. Using her skills as a playwright, she collaborated with David Baker, a renowned jazz professor, and William C. Banfield, a former professor of African-American Studies and Music, to create “Eyes,” a musical adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.[18]

While Baker and Banfield were responsible for the orchestration and arrangement, Evans composed the script, music, and lyrics.[19] Sponsored by IUPUI, the musical premiered in 1994 at the American Cabaret Theatre in Indianapolis.[20] IUPUI used this production to connect with the Indianapolis community, creating an opportunity “to talk about the crucial topics of racism, sexism, poverty and hope in a way that does not require recrimination or political double-talk.”[21]

A program cover of “Eyes,” which was performed in 1995. Courtesy of IUPUI Special Collections and Archives

“IUPUI is the public’s place of concourse for the discussion and resolution of difficult issues…’Eyes’ may have been the best way for Indianapolis to talk about such sensitive but vital subjects,” Plater stated in 1995 after the production finished.[22]

Evans continued her commitment to IU through creating a scholarship to help IUPUI students with artistic talent. Created in 1996, the Zora Neale Hurston-Mari Evans Scholarship,  is awarded to at least five currently enrolled IUPUI students yearly.[23]

Mari Evans with Zora Neale Hurston-Mari Evans Scholarship recipients, 2011[24]

Important Works

During her time at IU and IUPUI, Evans created some of her most famous works of art. From 1968-73, she wrote, produced, and directed a TV documentary called “The Black Experience” which aired during prime time in Indianapolis which is where Evans she had lived her own Black Experience.[25] David Baker worked together with Evans to create a musical score for the program.[26]

Other works during this time included the books J.D. (1973) and Singing Black (1976).[27] Although these works often addressed racial issues, her commentary included other difficult topics such as child abuse (Boochie, 1979) and teenage pregnancy (I’m Late, 2006).[28]

Evans was especially invested in the issue of the housing displacement of the Black community in Indianapolis, which she wrote about in “Where We Live: Essays About Indiana” in Ethos and Creativity (1989).[29]

She wrote, “What we find is that racism, in this up-South city at the end of the twentieth century, is like a steel strand encased in nylon then covered in some luxurious fabric. The intent is to avoid, if possible, blatant offenses, to soothe, mollify, if necessary, dissemble—while racism, the steel strand, still effectively does the job.”

Her most renowned poem, “I am a Black Woman,” was published in 1970. Part of her first collection of poetry, it won the Black Academy of Arts and Letters poetry award.[30]

I am a black woman

tall as a cypress

strong

beyond all definition still

defying place

and time

and circumstance

assailed

impervious

indestructible

Look

on me and be

Renewed

Evans’ Legacy

Evans’ accomplishments have been internationally recognized in a variety of unique ways. In 1997, she was one of twelve writers to be honored with her own image on national postage stamps in Uganda and Ghana, in an effort to promote global literacy. In Qatar in April 2018, the Virginia Commonwealth University opened an exhibit featuring her life.

Mari Evans next to an illustration of her postage stamp in Uganda in 1997. Courtesy of Blackpast reference center

Around Indianapolis, there are numerous homages to her, including a 30-foot mural painted by artist Michael Alkemi Jordan in 2016. During the recognition ceremony for her mural, August 13 was declared “Mari Evans Day” in the city to recognize her influence.[31]

Evans at the dedication of her mural at the Athenaeum in Indianapolis on August 13, 2016. Courtesy of the Indianapolis Star

Indiana has also recognized Evans’ influence on the state, its cities, and its institutions. The Indiana Historical Society honored Evans as a “living legend” in 2004 and she received the Indiana Authors Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.[32]

During her affiliation with IU, Evans received dozens of awards. She won the Indiana University Writers’ Conference Award in 1970.[33] She also received IUPUI’s highest honor, an honorary doctorate degree, in 2000; she was one of the three people who earned the honor on the IUPUI campus that year.[34]

The mural of Evans on Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis. Courtesy of the Indianapolis Star, August 13, 2016

Her friend and former colleague William Plater, IUPUI dean of the faculties emeritus and the executive vice chancellor of IUPUI, nominated her for this honor due to her contributions to campus and the international impact of her work.[35]

Evans composed one of the six poems that are featured on “The Indiana Windows,” a set of glass murals in the Indianapolis International Airport.[36] This poem, “Celebration,” is one of the ways that Evans wanted herself to be remembered.[37]

I will bring you a whole person

And you will bring me a whole person

And we will have us twice as much

Of love and everything[38]

Evans died on March 10, 2017 in Indianapolis at the age of 97, although many reports incorrectly stated that she died at the age of 93.[39] Mari Evans helped expose inequalities in Indiana and society as a whole through her insightful writing and other work throughout her legendary life.[40]

In one of her last interviews in 2017, Evans talks about her life’s work, “Well, all I ever really tried to do is speak the truth. I think I can say that everything I’ve ever written has been an effort to speak with integrity and to say things I feel are genuinely true…Listen, I think I’m a stand-up comic and I don’t really care what people think.”[41]

Those who knew Evans often remember her sense of humor, exemplified in her poem “The Rebel:

When I
die

I’m sure

I will have a

Big Funeral…

Curiosity seekers…

coming to see

if I

am really

Dead…

or just

trying to make

Trouble… [42]

 Bibliography

  1. Adams, Dwight. “Late Indianapolis Poet Mari Evans Leaves Legacy of Social Justice.” The Indianapolis Star, March 11, 2017. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/03/11/famed-indianapolis-poet-mari-evans-leaves-legacy-social-justice/99055190/.

 

  1. Bartner, Amy. “Mass. Ave Mural for Poet Mari Evans is Dedicated.” The Indianapolis Star, August 13, 2016. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/08/13/mass-ave-mural-poet-mari-evans-dedicated/88617736/.

 

  1. Evans, Mari (2014-02-07). “Mari Evans papers, circa 1900-2012 [bulk 1960-2012].” library.emory.edu.

 

  1. “Eyes – 1994-1995,” Office of the Dean of Faculties/Executive Vice Chancellor, 1966-2005, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

 

  1. Boyd, Herb. “Noted Poet and Literary Giant, Mari Evans, Passes at 93.” Amsterdam News, March 16, 2017. http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2017/mar/16/noted-poet-and-literary-giant-mari-evans-passes-93/.

 

  1. “Faces of IUPUI: Joseph T. Taylor.” Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, d. https://50.iupui.edu/faces/features/taylor-joseph.html.
  2. “Evans, Mari, 1997-2004,” Office of the Dean of Faculties/Executive Vice Chancellor, 1966-2005, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

 

  1. “Evans Reception, Mari, 2000,” Office of the Dean of Faculties/Executive Vice Chancellor, 1966-2005, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

 

  1. “‘Eyes’ Will Open During a Break for ‘Gershwin.'” The Indianapolis Star, September 27, 1995, p.56.

 

  1. “Eyes – Scholarship, 1995.” Office of the Dean of Faculties/Executive Vice Chancellor, 1966-2005, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

 

  1. Higgins, Will. “Remembering Mari Evans’ Intense, Unblinking Life.” The Indianapolis Star, March 20, 2017. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/03/20/remembering-mari-evans-intense-unblinking-life/99203978/.
  2. “IU Faculty to Include Black Poet.” The Indianapolis News, May 18, 1970.

 

  1. Johnson, Seth. “Mari Evans Exhibit Opens in Doha, Qatar.” Nuvo, March 18, 2018. https://www.nuvo.net/arts/mari-evans-exhibit-opens-in-doha-qatar/article_8fbcd66e-32f7-11e8-9e71-9b86c8221f95.html.

 

  1. Lennis, Susan. “Mari Evans: A Hoosier in Profile.” The Indianapolis Star, August 21, 1976, pp. 16-19.

 

  1. Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, August 19, 1972.

 

  1. Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, June 23, 2000.

 

  1. “Miss Mari Evans Joins Faculty at IUPUI.” The Indianapolis Recorder, September 27, 1969, p. 2.

 

  1. “On This Day in IUPUI History: March 15, 1970.” Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI, March 15, 2019. https://ulib.iupui.edu/special/blog/day-iupui-history-march-15-1970.

 

  1. “On This Day in IUPUI History: October 24, 1969.” Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI, October 24, 2018. https://ulib.iupui.edu/special/blog/day-iupui-history-october-24-1969.

 

  1. “Poems of Mari Evans Reflect Two-Way Pride.” The Indianapolis Star, November 22, 1970, p. 172.

 

  1. Samuels, Wilfred D., Tracie Church Guzzio, and Loretta Gilchrist Woodard (2007). Encyclopedia of African-American Literature. New York, New York: Facts On File. p. 173. ISBN 9780816050734.

 

  1. “Scholarships and Awards.” IU School of Liberal Arts,d. https://bulletins.iu.edu/iupui/2014-2016/schools/liberal-arts/scholarships-and-awards/school.shtml.

 

  1. “Spelman Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Mari Evans.” Spelman College, March 2017, https://www.spelman.edu/about-us/news-and-events/our-stories/stories/2017/03/20/mari-evans.

 

  1. “Bill Banfield (Biography).” The History Makers, November 17, 2018, https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/william-banfield.

 

  1. “The Indiana Windows.” Indianapolis International Airport,d. https://www.indianapolisairport.com/community/arts-program/permanent/the-indiana-windows.

 

  1. “Zora Neale Hurston-Mari Evans Scholarship, 1997,” IUPUI (Campus). Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Dean of Students Records, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

 

  1. “Eyes – Correspondence 1995.” Office of the Dean of Faculties/Executive Vice Chancellor, 1966-2005, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

 

  1. IUPUI Liberal Arts, Flickr page. https://www.flickr.com/photos/liberalarts_iupui/507901525

 

  1. Where We Live: Essays About Indiana (Ethos and Creativity: The Impulse As Malleable), “Eyes – Evans, Mari 1994-1995,” Office of the Dean of Faculties/Executive Vice Chancellor, 1966-2005, Ruth Lilly Special Collections and Archives, IUPUI University Library, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis.

Notes

[1] Seth Johnson,

[2] “Evans, Mari, 1997-2004,”

[3] “Eyes – 1994-1995,”

[4] “On This Day in IUPUI History: March 15, 1970.”

[5] Evans, Mari (2014-02-07).

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid

[9] Ibid.

[10] “Miss Mari Evans Joins Faculty at IUPUI.”

[11] “On This Day in IUPUI History: March 15, 1970.”

[12] “Faces of IUPUI: Joseph T. Taylor.”

[13] Lennis, Susan

[14] Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, August 19, 1972; Johnson, Seth.

[15] Lennis, Susan

[16] Conversation with William Plater

[17] Ibid.

[18] “Bill Banfield (Biography).”; “‘Eyes’ Will Open During a Break for ‘Gershwin.'”

[19] “Eyes – 1994-1995,”

[20] Ibid.

[21] “Eyes – 1994-1995,”

[22] “Eyes – Correspondence 1995.”

[23] “Eyes – Scholarship, 1995.”; “Scholarships and Awards.”

[24] IUPUI Liberal Arts, Flickr page. https://www.flickr.com/photos/liberalarts_iupui/507901525

[25] “Spelman Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Mari Evans.” ; Where We Live: Essays About Indiana (Ethos and Creativity: The Impulse As Malleable)

[26] IU Libraries Catalog

[27] Eyes – Evans, Mari 1994-1995,”

[28] Evans, Mari (2014-02-07). .”

[29] Conversation with William Plater

[30] “Poems of Mari Evans Reflect Two-Way Pride.”

[31] Bartner, Amy

[32] Message from the Indiana Historical Society

[33] 32.    Samuels, Wilfred D., Tracie Church Guzzio, and Loretta Gilchrist Woodard (2007)

[34] Minutes of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University, June 23, 2000.

[35] Conversation with William Plater

[36] “The Indiana Windows.”

[37] Conversation with William Plater

[38] “Celebration” by Mari Evans

[39] Higgins, Will; Boyd, Herb.

[40] Conversation with Bill Plater

[41] Johnson, Seth.

[42] Higgins, Will.

For further reading

  1. Hoppe, David. “The Radical Clarity of Mari Evans: A Remembrance.” Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, Spring 2018.
  2. Matthews, Kristin L. “Neither Inside Nor Outside: Mari Evans, the Black Aesthetic, and the Canon.” CEA Critic 73, no. 2 (2011): 34-54. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44378442.
  3. Sullivan, Erin. “Mari E. Evans (1923- ).” BlackPast, December 7, 2010. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/evans-mari-e-1923/
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