MISSION
To reveal, protect, and preserve the rich heritage of Black people and places
VISION
Through collaborative community engagement, scholarly investigation, and heritage-based planning, design, and capacity building foster needed alliances and actions for a better tomorrow founded upon the strength and stamina of historic Black communities
ULLI is a nonprofit Cultural Heritage Development Corporation (CHDC) based in Indianapolis, Indiana, focusing on creating a model for the preservation and stewardship of Black heritage communities through equitable and inclusive neighborhood growth and development.
ULLI’S HISTORY
In 2020, OG Ink Ltd, a small group of Black heritage-focused elders, came together to find better solutions for the future of Historic Indiana Avenue. Their efforts followed the lead of work begun by Reclaim Indiana Avenue and were energized by the Black Lives Matter movement because of the demand for change. ULLI was from those urgent times by Claudia Polley in late 2021.
“It was time to do something, otherwise, we would lose the history and heritage of Indiana Avenue and all that work that our forefathers and mothers did in providing wonderful for us, their grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”
— Claudia Polley, ULLI Founder
ULLI’S FOUNDER
CLAUDIA POLLEY
Claudia Polley is a specialist in creating new cultural institutions and planning strategies for established entities. Her 40 years of working in arts management include projects on three continents, encompassing a broad range of expertise in institutional planning, communications, development, and visitor experience.
Originally from Indianapolis, Claudia co-founded the African American Landmarks Committee of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, now Indiana Landmarks. She has worked closely with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and was the Founding President of the National Association for African American Heritage Preservation (NAAAHP).
GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS
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ULLI’s primary focus is Historic Indiana Avenue, one of the nation’s most significant Black heritage communities, which had nearly 5,000 homes and businesses razed between 1958 and 2000, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Today, the greater Historic Indiana Avenue area includes Madam Walker Legacy Center, the Indianapolis Urban League, Godwin Plaza, Lockefield Gardens, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Crispus Attucks High School, Historic Ransom Place, Fayette Street Historic Neighborhoods, the 500 block of Indiana Avenue, “Colored” Knights of Pythias headquarters, and Flanner House Homes.
Image: Walker Theater, Indiana Ave, 1956. Source: Indiana Historical Society, O. James Fox Collection
ULLI focuses on…
Engaging Community.
ULLI brought residents, business and property owners, government, and institutions together in focus groups to discuss meaningful and inclusive ways to protect and advance the cultural heritage of historic Indiana Avenue in ways that deepen local ownership and stewardship.
Developing Scholars.
Our ULLI Fellows support graduates and junior scholars with original research or applied research projects centered on the accumulation of Black cultural histories and narratives; collective memory, memorial, and commemoration practices; community-based research and engagement methodologies; and/or cultural heritage design and development strategies.
Supporting Research and Ideas.
Legacy Lands | Protopian Futures, made possible by a grant from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation, is a multi-disciplinary design studio at the Harvard Graduate School of Design that imagines the future possibilities for the historic Indiana Avenue neighborhoods if racial segregation, eminent domain, and slum clearance policies had not disrupted the thriving Black communities.
Advocating for Culturally-Respectful Design.
ULLI is working alongside Indianapolis’ oldest residential Black historic district in the National Register of Historic Places. Our work with Ransom Place Neighborhood Association is to assist in protecting the physical and cultural integrity of the near downtown neighborhood.
Building Alliances.
ULLI seeks to support and partner with existing local organizations and institutions at advance cultural heritage development.
Attracting Investment.
ULLI raises funds to invest in the people, places and organizations committed to the preservation and development Black cultural heritage
Ron Rice -
“This experience has changed my life in ways I didn’t realize would happen and I am totally grateful that not only was I a participant of this magical opportunity but, that I was able to help contribute to the work because it is so important that we as residents can see our contributions affect awareness in such a way.It all begins with an idea.”
Mellon Foundation
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Central Indiana Community Foundation
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Lilly Endowment Inc.
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Herbert Simon Family Foundation
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Mellon Foundation • Central Indiana Community Foundation • Lilly Endowment Inc. • Herbert Simon Family Foundation •
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR FUNDING FROM THE FOLLOWING: